Unlock Hidden Insights: How the HHCAHPS Survey Drives Clinical Excellence

Yearly, companies employed by CMS call a selected number of patients from every agency in the country. The findings are part of the Medicare Star Rating and consequently directly impact reimbursement. There are currently 34 questions in the survey and staff need to be trained to what the questions are and what it means for their practice in the home of patients.

Some of the questions are:

o How often did the home health team communicate well with you?

o How often did the home health team listen carefully to you?

o How often did the home health team explain things in a way you could understand?

o How often did the home health team treat you with courtesy and respect?

o How often did the home health team spend enough time with you?

o How would you rate the overall care from the team?

o How likely are you to recommend this home health agency to friends and family?

o Did you receive information about your medications

o Did you receive help with your personal care needs?

o Were your home health care needs met during your time with the agency?

The 2026 draft updated HHCAHPS Survey is shorter than the current survey and includes new questions on topics suggested by interested collaborators. Specifically, proposed changes to the survey include:

Addition of three new questions to assess topics of importance to patients:

o Whether the care provided helped the patient take care of their health

o Whether the patient’s family/friends were given sufficient information and instructions

o Whether the patient felt the staff cared about them “as a person"

In addition to the three questions added, others are amended or deleted all together.

It is proposed the following be removed but has not yet been approved by CMS. It includes the removal of questions or topics of less importance to patients (i.e., six questions

about medications were reduced to two questions).

The following four questions were removed:

o Whether someone asked to see all the prescription and over the counter

medicines the patient was taking

o Whether the patient is taking any new prescription medicines or whether

the patient’s medicines have changed

o Whether home health providers talked to patients about the purpose for

taking new or changed prescription medicines, and

o Whether home health providers talked to the patient about when to take

the medicines

Proposed removal of questions not currently used in public reporting composites (i.e.,

three questions on which type of staff served the patient—nurse, physical or occupational therapist, and home care aide).

Additional removal of one question that did not perform well in testing to stand alone or fit into one of the modified composite measures is:

o Whether the patient got information about what care and services they

would get when they first started getting home health care.

There are also minor text changes to some existing questions to help clarify the question or

response options, based on feedback from patients. A crosswalk detailing the changes between the original HHCAHPS Survey and the draft updated HHCAHPS Survey is available on the HHCAHPS website through the “Survey and Protocols” menu in the “Planned Survey Materials” view.

As stated in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update

Proposed Rule for calendar year (CY) 2026, CMS is proposing that the HHCAHPS

Survey vendors begin fielding the updated HHCAHPS Survey instrument with April

2026 sample month. Make sure you have the latest questions and educate your staff to the questions so they remember that their performance is measured by the patients and will be reflected in the survey findings.

If you have questions about the HHCAPS and are unsure of training needs, contact Kenyon HomeCare Consulting at 206-721-5091 or email to gkenyon@kenyonhcc.com We are here to help.