Fee-for-Service (FFS) CAHPS

Overview: The Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) CAHPS survey collects information from Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the FFS program. The survey targets a sample of over 200,000 beneficiaries. The questions on the survey relate to the enrollee’s experience of care with Medicare and their FFS provider.

About the survey: The FFS CAHPS Survey is administered annually to a subset of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in FFS. It uses a mixed mode data collection protocol consisting of a mail survey with an additional survey mailing for non-respondents, and telephone follow-up of non-respondents to the mailed questionnaire. The sample for the survey covers all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The questions on the survey are largely the same as those on the Medicare Advantage CAHPS survey and focus on topics such as communication, coordination of care, experiences getting needed health care, experiences with personal doctors and specialists, and customer service.

How the data are used: The FFS CAHPS survey results are publicly reported on the Medicare Plan Finder tool at www.medicare.gov.  FFS CAHPS results can be compared with Medicare Advantage CAHPS results on Medicare Plan Finder. 

For more information, please contact the FFS CAHPS project team at Fee-for-ServiceCAHPSSurvey@cms.hhs.gov.