Development of the Revised CAHPS Hospice Survey

Context

The CAHPS Hospice Survey, a required element of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospice Quality Reporting Program since 2015, is administered monthly by over 4,000 hospices. In response to stakeholder input, CMS shortened and simplified the survey instrument and added content to address care preferences and cultural needs.

Objective

To describe the development of the revised CAHPS Hospice Survey instrument.

Methods

We conducted a plain language review and environmental scan, refined existing survey instrument wording, drafted candidate survey items addressing new topics of interest, and conducted 7 rounds of cognitive interviews with a total of 59 family caregivers of hospice decedents.

Results

Cognitive interview respondents consistently interpreted “respecting [the patient’s] wishes,” and “listening to the things that matter most” and found these concepts relevant to their family members’ hospice care experiences; in contrast, they found the phrases “cultural practices” and “choosing what to do next” confusing or unclear. Addition of “cultural beliefs” to an existing survey item regarding religious and spiritual support allowed for assessment of non-religious traditions. Consolidation of the existing multi-item symptoms composite measure into one item resulted in loss of important information; however, providing a clear definition of training of family caregivers enabled consolidation of the existing multi-item training composite measure into one summary item.

Conclusion

The revised CAHPS Hospice Survey simultaneously adds new topics prioritized by stakeholders and reduces survey complexity and length.