Reporting CAHPS Survey Results to Consumers

The reporting of survey results to consumers is central to the concept of CAHPS, which was intended from its inception to be a reliable and useful tool for health care consumers. CAHPS reports are specifically intended to inform consumers about available health plan or provider choices and support them in making good decisions.

Guidelines and Strategies

Survey users can consult guidelines for reporting CAHPS survey results based on consumer testing conducted by the CAHPS Consortium, the experiences of CAHPS researchers and sponsors, and published literature on related topics.

For more comprehensive guidance on developing, designing, promoting, and evaluating health care quality reports for consumers, visit AHRQ’s TalkingQuality.

Research Projects

Members of the CAHPS Consortium conduct research on reporting information to consumers to contribute to the science of public reporting and support the effective reporting of CAHPS survey measures to consumers, clinicians, and other audiences.

CAHPS Measures of Patient Experiences

Each CAHPS survey produces measures of patient experience that can be reported to consumers and health care providers.

Examples of Comparative Reports

Illustrative examples of web-based comparative reports for consumers on the quality and costs of health care from health plans are available in AHRQ's TalkingQuality: Profiles of Comparative Reports on Health Care Quality and Costs. Organizations that are developing comparative reports can use these examples to better understand the variety of content and data presentation strategies.