ICH CAHPS Announcements

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Announcements

RTI International will be closed September 7, 2026
Other AnnouncementsPosted September 1, 2026

RTI International will be closed on September 7, 2026. The ICH CAHPS Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries that are received on that date as soon as possible after RTI re-opens on September 8, 2026.

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

Reminder: Deadline for Submitting the ICH CAHPS Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form for the 2026 Fall Survey is August 31, 2026
Facility Participation RequirementsPosted August 28, 2026

This is a reminder that survey vendors must notify the Coordination Team of any authorized ICH facilities who have closed or will be closing before the 2026 Fall Survey data collection period by completing and submitting the online Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form as soon as possible after learning of such closure(s), and no later than 5:00 PM ET on August 31, 2026.

Vendors can access the Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form by logging into the website and choosing “Vendor Facility Closing Attestation” form, which is under the For Vendors tab at the top of the website’s home page. Once a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form is submitted by a survey vendor, an email will be sent to both the currently authorized vendor and the facility’s Survey Administrator to notify the facility that the vendor has submitted the Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form on the facility’s behalf. If a facility or vendor receives this email and feels that the form has been submitted in error, they should contact the Coordination Team immediately.

If a vendor learns that a facility has closed or will be closing after this deadline and will not participate in the 2026 Fall Survey, both the vendor and the facility should contact the Coordination Team immediately for guidance on next steps.

Please contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team at 1-866-245-8083 or via email at ichcahps@rti.org if you have any questions or need more information about the Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form.

Reminder: Deadline for Authorizing a Survey Vendor for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey is August 31, 2026
Facility Participation RequirementsPosted August 28, 2026

This is a reminder that all in-center hemodialysis (ICH) facilities that are administering the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time or are switching to a different ICH CAHPS Survey vendor to administer the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey must update their vendor authorization on the ICH CAHPS website by 5:00 PM ET on Monday, August 31, 2026. Please note you must update the online vendor authorization only if the following applies:

Your facility is participating in the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time during the 2026 Fall Survey; OR
Your facility is switching to a different survey vendor to administer the 2026 Fall Survey; OR
Your facility entered the 2026 Spring Survey as the last survey period for which the vendor would administer the survey when you originally submitted the vendor authorization form.

If your organization will continue to use the same ICH CAHPS Survey vendor that was used to administer the 2026 Spring Survey, you do not need to update the online vendor authorization form.

If any of the above statements apply to your facility, you must update the online vendor authorization form for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey on the ICH CAHPS website by the August 31, 2026 deadline. Please note that you must have a formal written contract with an approved ICH CAHPS Survey vendor before authorizing that vendor on the website.

ICH facilities that served 30 or more survey-eligible patients in calendar year 2025 must administer both the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring and Fall Surveys to be compliant with the CMS quality reporting requirements. If the online vendor authorization form is not updated by the deadline (if needed based on above scenarios), a sample will not be provided to a survey vendor, which means the 2026 Fall Survey cannot be administered.

The steps for authorizing a vendor on the ICH CAHPS website are as follows:

Log in to the ICH CAHPS website here.
From your personal dashboard, click “Authorize a Vendor.” The system will then take you to the Authorize a Vendor page.
From the “Select Action” drop-down list on the Authorize a Vendor page:
- If authorizing a vendor for the first time on the website: Select the “Select a vendor for the first time” option.
- If changing/switching to a different vendor: Select the “Switch to a different vendor” option.
Select the name of your survey vendor from the vendor drop-down list.
Select the Beginning Survey Period for your new vendor. In this instance, you would select "2026 Fall Survey."
Do not enter an end date for your survey vendor unless you know that you will not be using this vendor for the 2027 Spring Survey.
Select the CCN(s) of the ICH facility (or facilities) to which the authorization applies.
Click the “Submit” button.

Please note the following:

No changes to vendor authorizations will be accepted for the 2026 Fall Survey after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 31, 2026.
If a facility has closed or will be closing and knows it will not be participating in the 2026 Fall Survey, please request that your survey vendor submit a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form on the ICH CAHPS website by this August 31, 2026 deadline. This will ensure that a sample file will not be provided to the vendor for the upcoming survey period. Vendors are encouraged to confirm with their facility contacts prior to this deadline that the facility is open and operating as expected.

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

Only One Week before the Deadline to Submit the ICH CAHPS Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form for the 2026 Fall Survey
Facility Participation RequirementsPosted August 24, 2026

Vendors can access the Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form by logging into the website and choosing “Vendor Facility Closing Attestation” form, which is under the For Vendors tab at the top of the website’s home page. Once a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form is submitted by a survey vendor, an email will be sent to both the currently authorized vendor and the facility’s Survey Administrator to notify the facility that the vendor has submitted the form on the facility’s behalf. If a facility or vendor receives this email and feels that the form has been submitted in error, they should contact the Coordination Team immediately.

Only One Week before the Deadline to Authorize a Survey Vendor for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey
Facility Participation RequirementsPosted August 24, 2026

This is a reminder that all in-center hemodialysis (ICH) facilities that are administering the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time or are switching to a different ICH CAHPS Survey vendor to administer the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey must update their vendor authorization on the ICH CAHPS website by 5:00 PM ET on August 31, 2026. Please note you must update the online vendor authorization only if the following applies:

Your facility is participating in the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time during the 2026 Fall Survey; OR
Your facility is switching to a different survey vendor to administer the 2026 Fall Survey; OR
Your facility entered the 2026 Spring Survey as the last survey period for which the vendor would administer the survey when you originally submitted the vendor authorization form.

If your organization will continue to use the same ICH CAHPS Survey vendor that was used to administer the 2026 Spring Survey, you do not need to update the online vendor authorization form.

ICH facilities that served 30 or more survey-eligible patients in calendar year 2025 must administer both the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring and Fall Surveys to be compliant with the CMS quality reporting requirements. If the online vendor authorization form is not updated by the deadline, a sample will not be provided to a survey vendor, which means the 2026 Fall Survey cannot be administered.

The steps for authorizing a vendor on the ICH CAHPS website are as follows:

Log in to the ICH CAHPS website here.
From your personal dashboard, click “Authorize a Vendor.” The system will then take you to the Authorize a Vendor page.
From the “Select Action” drop-down list on the Authorize a Vendor page:
- If authorizing a vendor for the first time on the website: Select the “Select a vendor for the first time” option.
- If changing/switching to a different vendor: Select the “Switch to a different vendor” option.
Select the name of your survey vendor from the vendor drop-down list.
Select the Beginning Survey Period for your new vendor. In this instance, you would select "2026 Fall Survey."
Do not enter an end date for your survey vendor unless you know that you will not be using this vendor for the 2027 Spring Survey.
Select the CCN(s) of the ICH facility (or facilities) to which the authorization applies.
Click the “Submit” button.

Please note the following:

No changes to vendor authorizations will be accepted for the 2026 Fall Survey after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 31, 2026.
If a facility has closed or will be closing and knows it will not be participating in the 2026 Fall Survey, please request that your survey vendor submit a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form on the ICH CAHPS website by this August 31, 2026 deadline. This will ensure that a sample file will not be provided to the vendor for the upcoming survey period. Vendors are encouraged to confirm with their facility contacts prior to this deadline that the facility is open and operating as expected.

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

Reminder: The Deadline to submit the ICH CAHPS Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form for the 2026 Fall Survey is August 31, 2026
Facility Participation RequirementsPosted August 5, 2026

Vendors can access the Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form by logging into the website and choosing “Vendor Facility Closing Attestation” form, which is under the For Vendors tab at the top of the website’s home page. Once a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form is submitted by a survey vendor, an email will be sent to both the currently authorized vendor and the facility’s Survey Administrator to notify the facility that the vendor has submitted the form on the facility’s behalf. If a facility or vendor receives this email and feels that the form has been submitted in error, they should contact the Coordination Team immediately.

Authorizing a Survey Vendor for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey
Facility Participation RequirementsPosted August 5, 2026

All in-center hemodialysis (ICH) facilities that are administering the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time or are switching to a different survey vendor to administer the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey must update their vendor authorization on the ICH CAHPS website by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 31, 2026.

If your organization will continue to use the same survey vendor that was used to administer the 2026 Spring Survey, you do not need to update the online vendor authorization form. However, you must update the online vendor authorization if any of the following apply:

Your facility is participating in the ICH CAHPS Survey for the first time during the 2026 Fall Survey; OR
Your facility is switching to a different survey vendor to administer the 2026 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey; OR
Your facility entered the 2026 Spring Survey as the last survey period for which the vendor would administer the survey when you originally submitted the vendor authorization form.

ICH facilities that served 30 or more survey-eligible patients in calendar year 2025 must administer both the 2026 Spring and Fall Surveys to be compliant with CMS’s quality reporting requirements. If the online vendor authorization form is not updated by the deadline, a sample will not be provided to a survey vendor, which means the 2026 Fall Survey cannot be administered.

The steps for authorizing a vendor on the ICH CAHPS website are as follows:

Log in to the ICH CAHPS website here.
From your personal dashboard, click “Authorize a Vendor.” The system will then take you to the Authorize a Vendor page.
From the “Select Action” drop-down list on the Authorize a Vendor page:
- If authorizing a vendor for the first time on the website: Select the “Select a vendor for the first time” option.
- If changing/switching to a different vendor: Select the “Switch to a different vendor” option.
Select the name of your survey vendor from the vendor drop-down list.
Select the Beginning Survey Period for your new vendor. In this instance, you would select "2026 Fall Survey."
Do not enter an end date for your survey vendor unless you know that you will not be using this vendor beyond the 2026 Fall Survey.
Select the CCN(s) of the ICH facility (or facilities) to which the authorization applies.
Click the “Submit” button.

Please note the following:

No changes to vendor authorizations will be accepted for the 2026 Fall Survey after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 31, 2026.
If a facility has closed or will be closing and knows it will not be participating in the 2026 Fall Survey, please request that your survey vendor submit a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form on the ICH CAHPS website by this August 31, 2026 deadline. This will ensure that a sample file will not be provided to the vendor for the upcoming survey period. Vendors are encouraged to confirm with their facility contacts prior to this deadline that the facility is open and operating as expected.

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

ICH CAHPS Survey Composite Measures Beginning with the Revised 2026 Survey
Data SubmissionsPosted July 28, 2026

Beginning with the 2026 Spring Survey administration, to reduce patient burden, the ICH CAHPS Survey was revised to contain fewer questions. The changes to the survey impact both 1) the composites and ratings that are publicly reported on Care Compare on Medicare.gov, and 2) the patient-mix variables that will be used to create the publicly reported scores.

The Care Compare October 2026 Refresh will contain data from the 2025 Spring and 2025 Fall Surveys, which both used the original survey. However, beginning with the April 2027 Refresh, the ICH CAHPS Survey data reported on Care Compare will look different:

Nephrologists’ Communications and Caring (NCC) composite measure: This composite measure will no longer be reported.
Quality of Dialysis Center Care and Operations (QDCCO): This composite measure is made up of 4 fewer questions for a total of 13, and question numbers making up this composite will be different.
Providing Information to Patients (PIP): This composite measure will remain the same but question numbers making up this composite will be different.
Rating of Nephrologists: This global rating will no longer be reported.
Rating of Dialysis Center Staff: This global rating will remain.
Rating of Dialysis Center: This global rating will remain.

A document listing the new question numbers for the QDCCO and PIP composite measures can be found here: https://ichcahps.org/Survey-and-Protocols.

In addition to the changes in the composites and ratings being reported, the set of patient-mix variables used to create publicly reported scores will change. For the April 2027 Refresh, 2025 Fall Survey scores will be recalculated using the new set of patient-mix variables so that they match the 2026 Spring Survey scores. The document, “Coefficients & Star Ratings for Current Data on Care Compare on Medicare.gov,” which is available in the website Quick Links box, will be updated before the April 2027 Refresh to reflect the new patient-mix information.

We encourage vendors and facilities to review these updates to become familiar with the revised measures and reporting approach.

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

Reminder: Only One Week before the Data Submission Deadline for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey
Data SubmissionsPosted July 22, 2026

The deadline for submitting data files from the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey to the Data Center is at 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, which is 1 week from today. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not accept any data files after that date and time.

We strongly encourage vendors who have not submitted an XML file for any of their facility clients to begin submitting as soon as possible. Remember that vendors must submit their data files in time to correct and re-submit any files that do not pass the validation checks.

Please feel free to contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions or need help with data submissions.

Reminder: Only 2 Weeks before the Data Submission Deadline for the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey
Data SubmissionsPosted July 15, 2026

As a reminder, the deadline for submitting data files from the 2026 ICH CAHPS Spring Survey to the Data Center is at 5:00 PM ET on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, which is only 2 weeks away. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not accept any data files after that date and time.

We strongly encourage vendors to begin submitting XML files as soon as possible following the end of data collection. Remember that vendors should submit their data files in time for them to correct and re-submit any files that do not pass the validation checks. As a reminder, due to the survey revisions implemented for 2026 Spring, we want to remind vendors to use the revised XML data layout file and that additional QC checks are strongly encouraged in addition to their standard pre-submission QC procedures; please see previous emails about implementing additional QC checks.

Please feel free to contact the ICH CAHPS Coordination Team via email at ichcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-245-8083 if you have any questions or need help with data submissions.

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