Average National and State Composite Scores and Ratings from the 2014 ICH CAHPS Survey
folder_openOther Announcementscalendar_todayPosted September 13, 2015

The ICH CAHPS Coordination Team is providing state and national averages for three ICH CAHPS global ratings and the three composite measures from the 2014 ICH CAHPS Survey. These state and national averages are now available here. They are provided to survey vendors to use for comparative purposes when they provide results to their in-center hemodialysis (ICH) facility clients.

ICH CAHPS Survey vendors should be advised of the following when using these state and national averages.

• The state and national averages are based on data from only one survey period (the 2014 ICH CAHPS Survey).
• The average scores for the ratings and composite measures are patient-mix adjusted and weighted.
• The state averages are based on all sample patients included in the 2014 ICH CAHPS Survey who received hemodialysis from an ICH facility in that state during the sampling window (from April 1, 2014 through June 30, 2014.)
• The averages for the composite measures represent the percentage of sample patients who responded that the nephrologist and dialysis center staff “always” communicated well with them, provided information needed and operated professionally and according to expectations.
• The average global ratings represent the percentage of sample patients served by the ICH facilities in the state who rated the nephrologists, the dialysis center staff or the dialysis center a 9 or 10 on each of the respective included questions.
• The averages are based on small sample sizes for some ICH facilities. The averages for states in which there were 99 or fewer survey respondents during the 2014 ICH CAHPS Survey are not included in the state averages.

The three global ratings and the three composite measures for which state and national averages are provided are shown below.

Global Ratings

• Rating of kidney doctors (Q8)
• Rating of dialysis center staff (Q32)
• Rating of the dialysis center (Q35)

ICH CAHPS Composite Measures

• Nephrologists Communication and Caring (Qs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9)
• Quality of Dialysis Center Care and Operations (Qs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 34 and 43)
• Providing Information to Patients (Qs. 19, 28, 29, 30, 31, 36, 38, 39, and 40)

The actual ratings questions and the text of questions that form each composite measure are included on the here.

These ratings are being provided because CMS has not yet decided when publicly reporting of ICH CAHPS Survey results will begin. When public reporting does begin, CMS plans to publish results from the ICH CAHPS Survey on DFC link on the www.medicare.gov website. ICH CAHPS Survey results will be based on data from two survey periods, with data from the most recent survey period replacing data from the oldest survey period.

In fall 2015, the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team will analyze combined data from the 2014 ICH CAHPS and the 2015 ICH CAHPS Spring Surveys and provide each participating ICH facility with its own survey results, along with the state and national averages for those two combined survey periods. Each ICH facility will be able to access the survey results for its own facility via a link on the ICH CAHPS website, but the individual ICH facility results will not be available to survey vendors. However, the national and state averages from those two survey periods will be available to survey vendors.

Please contact the Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions or need information about the ICH CAHPS state and national averages.