In-Center Hemodialysis CAHPS (ICH CAHPS)

Overview: The In-Center Hemodialysis (ICH) CAHPS Survey is the first national, standardized, and publicly-reported survey of patients' perspectives of dialysis care. It is also the first CAHPS survey focusing solely on a chronic disease. ICH CAHPS measures perceptions of patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) receiving life-sustaining ICH care.  

About the survey: Questions on the ICH CAHPS survey include: staff communication and caring, operations of the dialysis facility, patient knowledge of treatment options, handling of patient problems, and global ratings. There are three currently approved modes of administration: mail only, telephone only, and mixed (mail followed by telephone). To avoid any bias in responses, CMS-approved survey vendors conduct the survey of eligible patients on behalf of dialysis facilities.   

How the data are used: Data are collected twice per year through patient surveys. CMS publishes ICH CAHPS results on Care Compare on Medicare.gov. ICH CAHPS is part of the ESRD Quality Incentive Program and is required as part of the value-based purchasing program for payments under the Medicare program.  

For more information, please visit the ICH CAHPS website: https://ichcahps.org/. You can also access the Administration and Specifications Manual. You may contact CMS at ichcahps@cms.hhs.gov or the ICH CAHPS project team at ichcahps@rti.org.