Authorizing a Survey Vendor for the 2023 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey
folder_openFacility Participation Requirementscalendar_todayPosted August 3, 2023

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 2023 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey must update their vendor authorization on the ICH CAHPS website by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 31, 2023.

If your organization will continue to use the same survey vendor that was used to administer the 2023 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 2023 Fall Survey; OR
• Your facility is switching to a different survey vendor to administer the 2023 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey; OR
• Your facility entered the 2023 Spring Survey as the last survey period for which the vendor would administer the survey when you originally submitted the vendor authorization form.

If any of the above statements apply to your facility, you must update the online vendor authorization form for the 2023 ICH CAHPS Fall Survey on the ICH CAHPS website by the August 31, 2023 deadline.

ICH facilities that served 30 or more survey-eligible patients in calendar year 2022 must administer both the 2023 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 2023 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 "2023 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 2023 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:

1. No changes to vendor authorizations will be accepted for the 2023 Fall Survey after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on August 31, 2023.
2. If a facility has closed or will be closing and knows it will not be participating in the 2023 Fall Survey, please request that your survey vendor submit a Vendor Facility Closing Attestation Form on the ICH CAHPS website by this August 31, 2023 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.