About the CAHPS® 5.1H Survey
The HEDIS CAHPS survey comprises the AHRQ-sponsored CAHPS 5.1 survey and NCQA-developed items. NCQA refers to this survey collectively as “CAHPS 5.1H.”
NCQA supports 4 versions of the CAHPS 5.1H surveys for an annual fielding cycle:
- CAHPS Health Plan Survey 5.1H Adult Version, Commercial.
- CAHPS Health Plan Survey 5.1H Adult Version, Medicaid.
- CAHPS Health Plan Survey 5.1H Child Version, Children With Chronic Conditions (Medicaid).
- CAHPS Health Plan Survey 5.1H Child Version, Children Without Chronic Conditions (Medicaid).
About NCQA Survey Vendor Certification
The NCQA Survey Vendor Certification program evaluates, certifies and provides oversight of vendors that collect survey data on behalf of health plans. The program promotes standardized data collection, in accordance with HEDIS Volume 3: Specifications for Survey Measures.
CAHPS 5.1H produces measures as question summary rates, composites (composed of multiple questions) and overall ratings. NCQA scores 4 ratings and 5 composites for Health Plan Accreditation, with results comprising 13 of 100 HPA points. NCQA publicly reports CAHPS 5.1H results in its annual Health Plan Ratings, a national report card of health plan quality.
NCQA-Certified survey vendors must participate in annual training and comply with all oversight activities to maintain certification. See the list of certified vendors below. It is updated each fall.