What are CG CAHPS?
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys have been a focus for healthcare organizations across the US for years, even more so now that the government has linked hospital reimbursements to patient satisfaction scores. Some refer to The Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG CAHPS) survey as a “sister” to HCAHPS because it is a standardized survey used to measure patients’ perceptions of care from healthcare providers. However, CG CAHPS are unique to a medical office setting, rather than a hospital. The acronym “CAHPS” is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
What is the purpose of CG CAHPS?
The purpose of CG CAHPS is to better understand, assess, and improve upon patients’ experiences with healthcare providers and staff in medical offices. Survey results equip patients with information that can be used to make more informed choices about healthcare providers, practices, and medical groups.
Who uses CG CAHPS?
Medical practices, healthcare plans, health systems, regional and community-based collaboratives, accreditation and certification organizations. State and Federal agencies (such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Veterans Health Administration, and the Department of Defense).
Are CG CAHPS reported publicly?
Physician Compare is a website that provides a listing of providers in their locations and will soon include quality and patient experience measures for the medical office setting, very similar to the Hospital Compare website. Participation is free and available to all participants and is currently on a voluntary basis. All survey sponsors are encouraged to provide data, as the greater the participation, the more valuable the data is for comparison purposes.
Are CG CAHPS mandatory?
Although this answer is complex, it ultimately depends on the type of provider, the location, and the employer. As it relates to PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System), CMS currently requires CG CAHPS data from medical practices with over 100 eligible professionals under one tax identification number. Pioneer ACOs and Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs are also required to participate. In addition, several states are now requiring the use of CG CAHPS. Many believe CG CAHPS will be required for all practices accepting Medicare and Medicaid in the near future.
What measures are covered under the CG CAHPS survey?
The CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey produces the following measures of patient experience:
• Timeliness with appointments, care, and information
• Provider communication
• Provider use of information for coordination of patient care
• Office staff helpfulness, respectfulness, and politeness
• Patients’ evaluation of the provider
Why should my organization participate in CG CAHPS?
CG CAHPS are valuable for comparing and assessing an organization’s performance and analyzing strengths and weaknesses in patient experiences. They can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of improvement interventions. Most importantly, CG CAHPS can be used to help set higher standards of quality and patient satisfaction within an organization, while supporting a culture of patient-centered care.
What is M3-Patient Experience® and how does it support the CG CAHPS process?
M3-Patient Experience is the proprietary patient feedback system developed and deployed by MedicalGPS, LLC. Since 1995 physician practices have used M3-Patient Experience to gauge their patients’ perception of the office experience. The process is simple, yet very powerful. The goal is to acknowledge and express gratitude to every patient immediately following their office visit. Patients are first thanked, and then encouraged to provide feedback relative to their visit – usually the same day or next day following their visit. Patient feedback is obtained via in-clinic devices, email, and text message.
The M3-Patient Experience questionnaire is customized by the M3 client and may include up to 13 of the core questions utilized on the CG CAHPS survey instrument. M3-Patient Experience provides on-going continuous patient feedback relative to important CG CAHPS measures. Because M3-Patient Experience is real-time, M3 clients have opportunities to; a) perform service recovery soon after the patient’s visit, b) build patient loyalty, and c) create a culture of service excellence, all of which results in positive impact to the patient experience.
Organizations that use M3-Patient Experience to supplement their CG CAHPS process have on-going intelligence to continuously improve throughout the year. As a result, when the annual CG CAHPS survey is conducted, organizations utilizing M3-Patient Experience score higher than they would have otherwise, and thereby maximize their reimbursement.
