“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,” business management guru Peter Drucker asserted.

It could be argued that this nugget of wisdom applies to healthcare as well as business. And one effective measurement tool for healthcare quality is a survey called the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS). What’s so critical about this survey is that it seeks input from those who receive care: patients.

Every year, U.S. health insurance companies, including PacificSource, conduct this standardized survey to learn more about their members’ healthcare experiences. The information from the survey helps us identify areas where we can work with doctors to help provide a better experience for you as a patient and our member. It’s also a way for us to track our progress over time.

Participants are chosen at random. Here’s what you need to know if you are asked to complete the survey:

  • If you receive one of these surveys mailed from a company called SPH Analytics, it is legitimate, and not a scam. Insurance carriers often use outside vendors to conduct the survey. PacificSource uses SPH Analytics.
  • We value your feedback. Your participation and input are important and will help healthcare providers and insurers serve you better.
  • SPH Analytics will mail the surveys to select PacificSource members in February and March. Members who don’t respond will receive follow-up phone calls that may continue through May.
  • Your survey responses are confidential. If you are chosen to participate, your responses will not impact your benefits.
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Oregon Health Authority (OHA), and National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) will publicly report survey results, but your individual responses are completely confidential.

The survey asks participants to rate their experience with their health plan, experience receiving care from providers, and experience accessing care. The multiple choice questions focus on matters that patients themselves say are important to them.

Note that CAHPS is not intended to measure customer satisfaction, but rather how patients experienced or perceived key aspects of their care. It includes such things as communication with doctors, understanding medication instructions, and coordination of healthcare needs.

For more information about the CAHPS survey, visit CMS.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Research/CAHPS/index.html.

Have inquiries about the survey questions? Please contact SPH Analytics at (877) 476-7538

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