CMS Approves Press Ganey to Administer PQRS CAHPS Survey
By Sara Heath
On July 27, 2015, Press Ganey Holdings, Inc. announced in a press release that it will be one of the vendors approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to administer the Physician Quality Reporting System Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers Systems survey. The survey, which was recently approved by the CMS, will be for 2015-2016, according to a press release.
The PQRS for CAHPS survey, which was first administered in 2014, is required for all group practices of 100 or more EPs, and can be used as additional reporting option for groups with 2-99 EPs. CMS has bore the cost of this survey since its start, but is now requiring group practices to pay that cost, which is why it is notable the more vendors, such as Press Ganey, are being approved to administer the survey.
This survey will be used to gain insight about patient experience and care, and will test 12 key indicators of quality patient care, such as physician communication, shared decision-making, care coordination, access to specialists, between visit communication, helpful office staff, among many others. This data will be reported to CMS and posted to the CMS Physician Compare website, according to the CMS website.
The PQRS CAHPS survey reporting can also count toward the Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM), according to Press Ganey. Top performers may receive more compensation for the VBPM, thus increasing the necessity for different group practices to understand the this specific CAHPS survey and perform well on it.
The survey is scheduled to be administered between November 2015 through February 2016, although participants are required to select their CMS-approved vendors by the end of this September. In order to work with Press Ganey on this survey, participants must select it by September 15.
Additionally, Press Ganey is offering help to those participants preparing for the survey optimize their ability to maintain high quality of care throughout the year. To do this, Press Ganey plans to make on-site visits to various healthcare providers to help them improve specific areas of patient care.
CMS approval expands Press Ganey’s portfolio and maintains its position as an industry leader, and makes it easier for group practices to participate in the survey and improve its quality patient care. Press Ganey advocates for this improvement, and is excited about this opportunity to administer the survey.
“Press Ganey is proud to have received CMS approval to administer PQRS CAHPS,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO, Press Ganey. “This addition to our comprehensive suite of CAHPS and improvement offerings is yet another demonstration of our commitment to offering health care organizations the tools and services they need to meet ever-changing regulatory requirements while ensuring that the voice of every patient is captured.”
