REGULATORY REVIEW


Got OAS CAHPS Questions? Find answers and clarifications here BY KARA NEWBURY


While most in the ASC community are now aware that the Outpatient and Am- bulatory Surgery Consum- er Assessment of Health-


care Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey will be mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a lot of questions re- main. These answers to some of the questions that ASCA members ask most frequently can help ASCs prepare to conduct these surveys successfully.


General OAS CAHPS Questions


Q Can you confirm the voluntary and mandatory reporting periods


for the OAS CAHPS survey?


A The voluntary participation pro- gram became available Janu- ary 1, 2016, and runs through Decem- ber 31, 2017. As this magazine goes to print, mandatory participation is scheduled to begin January 1, 2018. For the latest news about the manda- tory reporting deadline go to www.asc association.org/qualityreporting.


Q How long is the survey?


A The survey is 37 questions long. It is divided into the following


subsections: ■■ ■■


■■ Before your procedure: (2 questions)


About the facility and staff: (6 ques- tions)


Communication about your proce- dure: (5 questions)


■■ Your recovery: (9 questions)


■■ Your overall experience: (2 questions) About you: (13 questions)


■■


Q Where can I find a copy of the survey?


A The survey can be accessed at https://oascahps.org/Survey-


Materials.


CMS-approved survey vendors will administer the survey on behalf of hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) and ASCs by telephone interview, mailed questionnaires or mail with telephone follow up (mixed mode).”


—Kara Newbury, ASCA


Q Are we allowed to add other questions to the survey?


A Facilities may add up to 15 sup- plementary questions at the end


of the survey and can choose to replace their internal patient experience of care surveys with the OAS CAHPS survey. Please note that vendors may charge additional money for adding questions to the survey.


Q How is the survey administered?


A CMS-approved survey vendors will administer the survey on behalf


of hospital outpatient departments (HOPD) and ASCs by telephone interview, mailed questionnaires or mail with telephone follow up (mixed mode). A list of the CMS-approved vendors is available at https://oascahps. org/General-Information/Approved- Survey-Vendors.


18 ASC FOCUS AUGUST 2017|www.ascfocus.org


Q How many completed surveys must a facility


have to be compliant?


A To satisfy the OAS CAHPS requirement, an ASC needs to


have 300 completed surveys obtained by sampling eligible patients. How- ever, if an ASC does not think it will be able to reach 300 completed sur- veys, it needs to survey all eligible patients (no sampling).


Q If an ASC does not participate in the OAS CAHPS survey, does that


affect the ASC’s Medicare payments?


A Yes. If the facility has a CMS license and meets the criteria to


participate in the ASC Quality Report- ing program (minimum of 240 Medi- care fee-for-service patients, primary or secondary payer), it is required to participate in the OAS CAHPS survey or is subject to a 2 percent reduction in its Medicare reimbursement rate.


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