Health Outcomes Survey (HOS)

Overview: The Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) collects information from people with Medicare who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans. MA plans with at least 500 enrollees must participate. The questions on the survey relate to the enrollee’s physical and mental health, daily activities, and sleep patterns.

About the survey: Each year, a random sample of Medicare beneficiaries is drawn from each participating MA plan. Two years later, the respondents are surveyed again for follow-up measurement. The goal is to see how well health plans help beneficiaries maintain or improve their health over time. The HOS uses a mixed mode data collection protocol consisting of two mailings 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. 

How the data are used: The HOS allows objective and meaningful comparisons among MA contracts. The public and research communities use results to assess plan performance, monitor the health of the Medicare population and vulnerable subgroups, and evaluate treatment outcomes. Health plans use HOS results to identify areas for quality improvement, and Medicare administrators and policymakers rely on the measures to monitor MA plans. Since 2012, several HOS measures have been included in the Star Ratings for MA Quality Bonus Payments. 

For more information, please visit the HOS website at http://hosonline.org, where you can download the Quality Assurance Guidelines and Technical Specifications (QAG) Manuals. For information on how to obtain non-identifiable data, identifiable data, and limited data set files, please see the link to Files for Order under Related Links below. For general and technical questions about the HOS, please contact HOS Information and Technical Support at hos@hsag.com or (888) 880-0077. To ask program or policy questions, please email hos@cms.hhs.gov.