ICH CAHPS Announcements

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Updated ICH CAHPS Survey Materials for the 2026 Spring Survey
Changes to Survey MaterialsPosted December 19, 2025

The ICH CAHPS Coordination Team is currently in the process of updating the ICH CAHPS Survey Administration and Specifications Manual, Version 14.0 and survey materials, and would like to give early notification of the following survey materials that will be revised for implementation during the 2026 Spring Survey period.

As was noted in the memo posted on the ICH CAHPS website on September 26, 2025 (DRAFT Revised ICH CAHPS Surveys for 2026 Spring (tentative) Now Posted on the ICH CAHPS Website), the proposed DRAFT revised ICH CAHPS Survey, in all languages, was posted on the Survey and Protocols webpage. At this time, implementation of the revised ICH CAHPS Survey is still expected to be for the 2026 Spring Survey; however, this is dependent on receiving OMB approval by a certain date. We will keep vendors updated with any changes to this revised survey implementation plan or timeline.

The survey materials that will be revised:

ICH CAHPS Prenotification Letter (English, Spanish, Samoan, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese):

Added a sentence to the prenotification letters to note that the survey is now shorter.

ICH CAHPS Cover Letters 1 and 2 (English, Spanish, Samoan, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese):

Added a sentence to both Cover Letters 1 and 2 to note that the survey is now shorter.
The OMB disclosure notice (which must be printed on either the survey OR on the Cover Letters 1 and 2), has been revised to reflect the average time to take the survey is now 12 minutes, instead of the previous 16 minutes.
- Please note: The OMB number (included in the OMB disclosure notice) may also be required to be revised. Vendors will be provided with a second/final version of the cover letters 1 and 2 if this update is required, which may not be known until February 2026.

ICH CAHPS Mail Survey (English, Spanish, Samoan, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese):

The revised ICH CAHPS Mail Survey now contains 38 survey questions (was previously 62).
There is now a revised single question to gather race and ethnicity information, with new response options.
The OMB disclosure notice (which must be printed on either the survey OR on the Cover Letters 1 and 2), has been revised to reflect the average time to take the survey is now 12 minutes, instead of the previous 16 minutes.
The OMB expiration date will be revised, but this new date may not be known until February 2026.
- Please note: The OMB number that must be printed on the survey cover page (and also included in the OMB disclosure notice if the notice is being printed on the survey) may also be required to be revised. Vendors will be provided with a second/final version of the mail survey that includes these final pending OMB changes, once they have been made, which may not be until February 2026.
Due to updated Section 508 compliance requirements, the mail surveys posted on the ICH CAHPS website can no longer include underlined text. As such, the revised mail surveys posted on the website (which are 508 compliant) will now display the two instances of the word “not” as “not”. Please note that this word will remain underlined (“not”) in the revised mail surveys that vendors will receive from the Coordination Team, to be administered to sample patients.

ICH CAHPS Telephone Script (English and Spanish):

The revised ICH CAHPS Telephone Script now contains 36 survey questions (was previously 59).
INTRO2 now references that the survey is shorter.
There is now a revised single question to gather race and ethnicity information, with new response options.

OMB Disclosure Notice (English, Spanish, Samoan, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese):

The OMB disclosure notice (which must be printed on either the survey OR on the Cover Letters 1 and 2), has been revised to reflect the average time to take the survey is now 12 minutes, instead of the previous 16 minutes.
- Please note: The OMB number (included in the OMB disclosure notice) may also be required to be revised. Vendors will be notified of these changes once they have been finalized, which may not be until February 2026.

XML Data Layout File:

The ICH CAHPS Survey XML data layout file is being revised for the 2026 Spring Survey to reflect all revisions made to the 2026 Spring mail surveys and telephone scripts. The specific XML file updates will be provided to vendors at a later date.
By May 2026, the ICH CAHPS Survey data submission tools (Schema Validation Tool and Data Submission Tool) will be updated to reflect this revised survey. Announcements will be posted on the website when the revised tools are available.
All survey vendors must update their XML before the July 29, 2026 data submission deadline for the 2026 Spring Survey. Please note that in light of these significant changes to the XML file, additional information will be provided in the weeks leading up to the July 2026 data submission period regarding quality control checks that vendors should conduct on their 2026 Spring Survey data prior to data submission.

Waiting Room Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese):

Revised reference of number of minutes the (revised) survey will take to complete from “16” to “12”.
Removed reference to the survey asking opinions about kidney doctors.

Telephone Interviewer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (English and Spanish):

Revised references of number of minutes the (revised) survey will take to complete from “16” to “12”.
Removed references to the survey asking opinions about kidney doctors.

Survey Composites:

Revised to show the survey items included in each of the ICH CAHPS Survey composite measures, based on the revised ICH CAHPS Survey to be implemented beginning with the 2026 Spring Survey period.

The Coordination Team will provide the revised materials to approved survey vendors via email within the next few weeks, so that they can begin updating their systems/processes. All survey vendors must update their survey materials and systems before the 2026 Spring Survey begins in April 2026. At this time, these are the only survey materials revisions expected; however, survey vendors will be notified should other changes be required (such as the above references changes to the OMB expiration date and OMB number, impacting the mail surveys and Cover Letters 1 and 2).

The revised cover letters, mail surveys, telephone scripts, OMB disclosure notices, waiting room FAQs, telephone interviewer FAQs, the survey composites document, and XML file will also be made available on the ICH CAHPS website in early February 2026. All updated survey materials will be discussed during the ICH CAHPS Vendor Update Training session on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

Please contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org if you have any questions.

RTI International will be closed December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026
Other AnnouncementsPosted December 18, 2025

RTI International will be closed on December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026. We will also have limited availability on December 24. The ICH CAHPS Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries that are received on those dates as soon as possible.

Please contact the Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions.

Happy Holidays!

2026 In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS Survey Vendor Update Training Session: Registration Open
Training InformationPosted December 8, 2025

The 2026 ICH CAHPS Survey Vendor Update training will take place on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). Please note the following:

Registration for the Vendor Update training session is now available here. Registration will close at 5:00 PM ET on February 17, 2026.
Each approved ICH CAHPS Survey vendor’s designated Survey Administrator must attend the entire session.
Although not required, we strongly encourage each vendor to have all key ICH CAHPS staff attend this training session.
To allow us to accurately track registration attendance lines, if multiple people from an organization plan to attend the training session, each person should register separately using their own unique organization email address and name.

Please note the following reminders regarding subcontractor attendance at ICH CAHPS Survey Vendor Update trainings:

For all vendors who are using a subcontractor who will be conducting one or more of the following activities on the ICH CAHPS Survey, the vendor must alert the subcontractor’s lead ICH CAHPS staff member that they are required to register for and attend the Vendor Update training session:
- telephone survey data collection
- mail survey receipt and processing
- construction or submission of XML data files
Subcontractors who conduct printing, mail assembly, or other mailout activities, and those who only monitor/manage the vendor’s ICH CAHPS toll-free hotline, are not required to participate in the Update training sessions.
If you are unsure whether your subcontractor should attend the training, please contact the Coordination Team.

Please contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org if you have any questions about the upcoming 2026 ICH CAHPS Survey Vendor Update training session.

2026 Introduction to the In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS Survey Training Session (Self-Paced Format): Registration Open
Training InformationPosted December 8, 2025

Registration is now open for the self-paced 2026 Introduction to the In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS (ICH CAHPS) Survey training. Please note the following:

Registration for this training session is available here. Registration will close at 5:00 PM ET on February 17, 2026.
Self-paced training materials will be available from February 18 to February 25, 2026.
Approved survey vendors and their subcontractors are not required to complete the self-paced Introduction to ICH CAHPS Survey training. However, the Coordination Team strongly encourages new staff from approved vendor organizations to complete this training. These staff do not need to complete a certification at the end of the training.
Approved survey vendors will be required to attend the live ICH CAHPS Survey Vendor Update training session on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM ET. Registration for the Vendor Update training session is now available here. Registration will close at 5:00 PM ET on February 18, 2026.

Please contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org if you have any questions about the self-paced 2026 Introduction to the In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS Survey training session.

2026 ESRD Prospective Payment System Final Rule
Information for Dialysis FacilitiesPosted November 24, 2025

The ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule for Calendar Year 2026, which was published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2025, is available here.

Important Reminder: Accuracy of Patient Contact Information in EQRS for the ICH CAHPS Survey
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 21, 2025

Dear In-Center Hemodialysis (ICH) CAHPS Facility Survey Administrators:

As you may know, the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team uses data from the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Reporting System (EQRS) to draw a sample for each ICH CAHPS Survey. We then provide patient contact information from EQRS to your authorized survey vendor so that they can administer the survey on your behalf to the sampled patients from your facility.

After recent notification from a facility, we conducted a review of the 2025 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey sampling data and identified a small percentage of cases where the dialysis facility’s address was entered into EQRS as the patient’s home address. The use of the facility’s address in place of the patient’s home address can result in survey materials being mailed to the facility; this poses several concerns, including that the facility can determine which patients may have been sampled for the survey.

Accurate address information plays an important role in drawing a valid ICH CAHPS sample and to supporting sample patients’ ability to receive and complete the survey privately! We strongly encourage facilities to review their procedures for entering and updating patient contact information in EQRS and ensure that patient address data for October, November, and December 2025 (the sampling window for the 2026 Spring Survey) are complete and accurate.

Please contact the Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions.

Regards,
The ICH CAHPS Coordination Team

Patient-Mix Coefficients, Star Ratings, and Average State and National Scores for the ICH CAHPS Survey Results Publicly Reported in November 2025
Information for Dialysis FacilitiesPosted November 21, 2025

The ICH CAHPS Survey results that are currently posted on Care Compare on the Medicare.gov website (https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/) are based on ICH CAHPS Survey data from the 2024 ICH CAHPS Spring and 2024 ICH CAHPS Fall Surveys.

Patient-Mix Coefficients and Star Ratings for the 2025 November (delayed from October) Refresh

The results shown are statistically adjusted for both data collection mode and for patient-mix. Information about the adjustments made to the survey results and the coefficients used to adjust the results can be found here. Information presented in this document will allow ICH facilities to approximate the effect of patient-mix adjustment on their ICH CAHPS Survey results that were posted on Care Compare in November 2025. This document also includes additional information on the clustering method used to create ICH CAHPS Star Ratings (Appendix A).

Average State and National Scores for the 2025 November (delayed from October) Refresh

In addition, you can click here to see the state and national averages for the three ICH CAHPS composite measures and the three global ratings based on the combined data from these two survey periods. The average response rate for each state and the overall response rate are also provided in this document.

Please contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team at 1–866–245–8083 or via email at ichcahps@rti.org if you have any questions.

RTI International will be closed November 27 and 28, 2025
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 20, 2025

RTI International will have limited availability on November 26, 2025 and will be closed on November 27 and 28, 2025 for the Thanksgiving holiday. The ICH CAHPS Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries that are received on these dates as soon as possible after RTI re-opens on December 1, 2025.

Please contact the Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions.

Tentative Data Collection Schedule for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 7, 2025

The tentative data collection schedule and the dates for some key activities related to the 2026 In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS (ICH CAHPS) Spring Survey are shown below. Please note that these dates are subject to change. Should a schedule change occur, an announcement will be posted.

Activity	Date
2026 ICH CAHPS Survey Vendor Update Training Session	2/18/2026
2026 Introduction to the ICH CAHPS Survey Self-Administered Training	2/18/2026-2/25/2026
Submit New Facility-Specific Questions to CMS	2/6/2026
Deadline for Authorizing a Vendor for 2026 Spring Survey¹	2/28/2026
Deadline for Submitting a 2026 Facility Non-Participation Form²	2/28/2026
Deadline (for vendors) to submit Facility Closed Attestation form³	2/28/2026
Deadline (for vendors) to Review Vendor Authorization Report and Notify the Coordination Team of any Authorization Issues	3/2/2026
Deadline for Submitting the Updated Quality Assurance Plan	5/31/2026

Sampling Window	10/1/2025-12/31/2025
Sample Files Uploaded on ICH CAHPS Website	3/27/2026
Vendors Attest to Receipt of Sample File	3/31/2026
Mail Prenotification Letter	4/17/2026
Mail 1^st Survey Package (mail-only and mixed mode)/Begin Telephone data collection (phone-only)	5/1/2026
Mail 2^nd Survey Package (mail-only)/Begin Telephone follow-up (mixed mode)	5/29/2026
Data Collection Ends	7/10/2026
Vendors Clean/Process Final Data and Construct XML File	7/10/2026-7/29/2026
Deadline for Submitting XML Data File to ICH Data Center	7/29/2026

¹ Only ICH facilities that will be switching to a different survey vendor and those that will be participating in the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time will need to complete the online vendor authorization form.
² The Facility Non-Participation Form is an annual form that is valid only for the year in which it was submitted and alerts the Coordination team that a sample file should not be provided for the facility for that year’s surveys. ICH facilities that submitted the 2025 Facility Non-Participation Form must submit the 2026 Facility Non-Participation Form if they do not plan to administer the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring and Fall Surveys.
³ Submission of the Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form alerts the Coordination Team that a sample file should not be provided for the facility for the upcoming ICH CAHPS Survey Period, due to the closing of the facility.

Please contact the Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions or need more information about the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey.

Application to Become a CMS-approved ICH CAHPS Survey Vendor for the 2026 Fall Survey Now Available
Training InformationPosted October 30, 2025

The In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS (ICH CAHPS) Survey Coordination Team is now accepting applications from survey organizations interested in becoming approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to administer the ICH CAHPS Survey on behalf of in-center hemodialysis facilities.

Interested survey vendors must submit an application to the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team by 5:00 PM ET on December 5, 2025. Survey organizations that submit an application by December 5^th and meet the requirements for becoming a CMS-approved ICH CAHPS Survey vendor, including participating in the Introduction training session in February 2026, will be eligible to administer the survey beginning with the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey.

Survey vendor applicants must complete the following tasks to be considered for approval:

Meet a set of minimum business requirements located here.
Designate a staff member to be the vendor’s ICH CAHPS Survey Administrator.
The vendor's designated ICH CAHPS Survey Administrator must complete the online Vendor Registration Form (available under the "For Vendors" menu) to obtain login credentials to the ICH CAHPS website.
After submitting the Vendor Registration Form, the ICH CAHPS Survey Administrator can complete and submit the Vendor Application which is on the Vendor Dashboard. They will be directed to their Vendor Dashboard once they submit the Vendor Registration Form.
After submitting the Vendor Application, the person designated as the ICH CAHPS Survey Administrator must complete and submit the online Vendor Consent Form from the dashboard.
The vendor's designated ICH CAHPS Survey Administrator must register for and complete the 2026 Introduction to the ICH CAHPS Survey self-paced training and the training certification in February 2026; the certification will be provided via email to registrants. We strongly encourage all key ICH CAHPS staff to complete this self-paced ICH CAHPS Survey training. Subcontractors who will have a significant role (i.e., those conducting the following activities: telephone survey data collection, mail/questionnaire receipt and/or processing, and construction or submission of XML data files) must also complete this self-paced ICH CAHPS Survey Intro training. If conditional approval is granted, newly approved vendors must attend all ICH CAHPS Update training sessions. More details on trainings will be posted on the ICH CAHPS website in December.
Agree to implement the ICH CAHPS Survey using standardized protocols and procedures described in the ICH CAHPS Survey Administration and Specifications Manual available here.
Complete and submit a Quality Assurance Plan within 6 weeks after the vendor’s first ICH CAHPS Survey data submission.
Participate and cooperate in all oversight activities conducted by the ICH CAHPS Survey Coordination Team, including but not limited to conference calls and site visits, as deemed necessary.

Please contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team at 1-866-245-8083 or via email at ichcahps@rti.org if you have questions about the ICH CAHPS Survey and the requirements for becoming an approved ICH CAHPS Survey vendor.

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