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Reminder to HHAs of the Importance to Maintain HHCAHPS Survey Vendor Authorizations
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted February 5, 2026

This announcement is intended for home health agencies (HHAs). HHCAHPS Survey vendors are strongly encouraged to share this announcement with HHAs.

It is essential that HHAs keep their agency’s official HHCAHPS Survey vendor authorizations up to date via the HHCAHPS website. Standard practice is that HHCAHPS Survey vendors check their online Vendor Authorization Report on a quarterly basis (leading up to data submission) and work with client HHAs to resolve issues, as needed. HHCAHPS Survey vendors cannot successfully submit HHCAHPS Survey data to the Data Center on the agency’s behalf unless they are authorized to do so.

If an HHA is participating in HHCAHPS for the first time, the registered HHCAHPS Survey Administrator (SA) must authorize their HHCAHPS Survey vendor with a Start Date that corresponds to the first quarter the vendor is collecting and submitted survey data on the HHA’s behalf.
If an HHA switched HHCAHPS Survey vendors, the registered HHCAHPS SA must update their vendor authorization on the HHCAHPS website by adding an End Date (which corresponds to the last quarter the vendor is collecting and using data on the HHA’s behalf) to the existing vendor authorization then authorizing the new vendor with a Start Date. Vendor authorizations cannot overlap. It is also important that there is not a gap in participation as this could compromise compliance with HHCAHPS Survey participation requirements.
If an HHA is ending their participation in HHCAHPS (and not switching vendors), the registered HHCAHPS SA should add an End Date to their existing vendor authorization.

HHAs can view their vendor authorization records at any time by logging in to the HHCAHPS website and navigating to their HHA Dashboard. Instructions on how HHAs can authorize a vendor for the first time, switch/change vendors, and view their vendor authorization records can be found in this Quick Link document:

Authorize Survey Vendor

If you have questions or need support with vendor authorizations, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

Revised HHCAHPS Survey Materials Submission Due on 2/27/2026
Changes to Survey MaterialsPosted February 5, 2026

As a component of the revised HHCAHPS Survey rollout, Vendors are required to submit their revised instruments and select supporting materials to the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team for review and approval. One dummy patient in 1 agency should appear on all mail templates except for envelopes.

Please submit the following materials, in English only, by February 27, 2026:

Mail vendors should submit electronic copies of…
- Revised English questionnaire
- First mailing cover letter
- Second mailing cover letter
- Outgoing mailing envelope
- Survey return envelope/business reply envelope
- Please refer to Section 5.3 of the 2026 Protocols and Guidelines Manual, for relevant printing and formatting requirements and recommendations.
Phone vendors should submit screenshots of the entire questionnaire from the CATI interview (for both the standard and proxy versions of the surveys).
- The full question wording and answer categories must be visible.
- Please place screenshots into a single Word or PDF document in an order that matches the survey.
- Please refer to Section 6.3 of the 2026 Protocols and Guidelines Manual, for relevant CATI instrument requirements and recommendations.
- Optional: Instead of screenshots, vendors may submit a test link that the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team can use to verify the content and test the skip logic of the revised programmed CATI instrument (please include a link for both the standard and proxy versions of the instrument.)
Mixed-mode vendors should both the mail and phone materials as described above.

Please electronically submit these materials to the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team (hhcahps@rti.org) on or before February 27, 2026. When submitting these materials by email, please use the subject line of:

Revised HHCAHPS Survey Materials Submission for [NAME OF VENDOR]

Upon receiving the revised instruments, the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will review these materials and will respond by email regarding approval and/or required updates. A failure to submit these materials by the stated deadline may result in a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) being issued in response.

If you have questions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

Deadline for Filing a Request for an Exemption from Participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the CY 2027 APU
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted February 5, 2026

This is a reminder to all Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) seeking an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the calendar year (CY) 2027 annual payment update (APU) period to submit a Participation Exemption Request (PER) form on the HHCAHPS website.

The deadline for submitting the CY 2027 APU exemption request is 11:59 PM Eastern Time March 31, 2026.

As announced in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2026 that was published in the Federal Register on December 2, 2025, Medicare-certified HHAs that served 59 or fewer unduplicated patients between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025 who met survey eligibility criteria can request a PER for the CY 2027 APU.

HHAs can access the online PER form on HHCAHPS website at the following link: Participation Exemption Request (PER) Form

If you have questions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

2026 HHCAHPS Survey Training Materials Have Been Posted
TrainingPosted January 21, 2026

The slides for the self-paced 2026 Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey training and the HHCAHPS Survey Vendor Update Webinar training are now posted under the “Training” menu of the HHCAHPS website. As a reminder, all organizations must register to access the Introduction to HHCAHPS Survey training certification (for vendors applying to become an approved vendor) and/or to attend the Update Training (for vendors already approved), at this link by 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday, January 28, 2026: HHCAHPS Training Registration Form

In addition, we have posted the following materials to the Survey and Protocols page and Data Submission Resources page of the HHCAHPS website:

HHCAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual, Version 18.0;
HHCAHPS Survey Website User and Data Submission Manual, Version 14.0;
Revised standard version of mail questionnaire and standard and proxy telephone scripts in all applicable languages, for use starting with the April 2026 sample month*;
Revised standard and disproportionate stratified random sampling (DSRS) versions of XML data file layouts, for use starting with the April 2026 sample month*;
Revised FAQs for Telephone Interviewers, Sample File Layout, FAQs for Rolling Out Updated Survey, Crosswalk between the original and updated survey, Crosswalk of publicly reported measures, and Crosswalk of standard XML data file layout;
General Guidelines for Telephone Interviewers, Vendor Application PDF, Exceptions Request Form PDF, and Discrepancy Notification Report PDF, with updated release date in the header/footer and no content changes; and
New Interviewer Monitoring Form.

* Pending OMB approval.

If you have questions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

Public Reporting Results Refreshed on Care Compare; Archived Publicly Reported Data Available on HHCAHPS Website
Public ReportingPosted January 14, 2026

Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey results based on responses from patients who received home health care from Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) from July 2024 through June 2025 are now reported on Medicare’s compare tool at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/. HHCAHPS Survey results are updated each calendar year quarter.

These data are also available on the HHCAHPS website through the Archived Publicly Reported Data link under the “General Information” tab. On this webpage, you can access

HHA-level data,
state and national averages,
star ratings cut points,
patient mix adjustment coefficients for the linearized data used to construct the star ratings, and
patient mix adjustment factors.

As a reminder, information on how the star ratings were constructed is provided in these Technical Notes.

Select this link for more information about how the data were analyzed and for the patient-mix adjustment factors that were used to statistically adjust the results that are currently being publicly reported on CMS’ Compare website.

RTI International will be closed January 19, 2026
Other AnnouncementsPosted January 13, 2026

RTI International will be closed Monday, January 19, 2026, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

If you have questions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

CY2025 Quarter 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder: One Week Left
Data SubmissionsPosted January 8, 2026

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2026. We are now one week away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 3 of calendar year 2025 (CY25, Q3).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY25,Q3 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 3, we encourage you to begin submitting your files as soon as possible.

Important Points to Remember:

To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2026, you must submit all Quarter 3 files on or before Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
- Since CMS will not accept any files after the data submission deadline, make sure you check your data submission reports to verify that all your submitted files were accepted. And, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
Data files must pass both the initial and the secondary validation checks.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HHA even if their monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
- For each sample month an HHA has no eligible patients, please remember to request an email from them documenting that they had no eligible patients or have them submit a blank monthly patient information file, so that you can submit a 0-eligible file for that month.
Please remember to submit a DNR for any HHAs that do not send you a file.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

If you have any questions or need help with data submissions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) Newsletter – January 2026 Edition
Other AnnouncementsPosted January 5, 2026

The next issue of the HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) newsletter has been posted. This edition provides information about HHCAHPS to home health agencies and survey vendors.

This quarter’s issue includes:

Important dates and reminders for HHAs.
Overview of the January HHCAHPS 2026 Update and Introduction Vendor Training sessions, including a registration link.
- Note: Only survey vendors have training requirements; HHAs are welcome but not required to attend.
Spotlight on how HHAs can help to improve HHCAHPS Survey response rates.

CTQR newsletters are posted on the HHCAHPS website and updated quarterly every calendar year. You can navigate to the January 2026 newsletter located under the General Information tab on the HHCAHPS website or click this link: CTQR Newsletter - January 2026.

The CTQR does not replace any source of information currently on the HHCAHPS website; instead, it highlights important information for readers each quarter. We encourage you to visit the HHCAHPS website for more information on the items mentioned in this newsletter.

If you have questions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

CY2025 Qtr. 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted December 31, 2025

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2026. We are now approximately 2 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 3 of calendar year 2025 (CY25,Q3).

Important Points to Remember:

To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2026, you must submit all Quarter 3 files on or before Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
- Since CMS will not accept any files after the data submission deadline, make sure you check your data submission reports to verify that all your submitted files were accepted. And, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
Data files must pass both the initial validation checks and the secondary validation checks.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HHA even if their monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
- For each sample month an HHA has no eligible patients, please remember to request an email from them documenting that they had no eligible patients or have them submit a blank monthly patient information file, so that you can submit a 0-eligible file for that month.
Please remember to submit a DNR for any HHAs that do not send you a file.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

If you have any questions or need help with data submissions, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

CY25 Qtr. 3 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted December 18, 2025

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2026. We are now approximately 4 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 3 of calendar year 2025 (CY25,Q3).

Important Points to Remember:

To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 15, 2026, you must submit all of your Quarter 3 files on or before Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
- Since CMS will not accept any files after the data submission deadline, make sure you check your data submission reports to verify that all of your submitted files were accepted. And, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
Data files must pass both the initial and the secondary validation checks.
You must still submit an XML data file for an HHA even if their monthly patient information file does not have any patients eligible to be sampled.
- For each sample month an HHA has no eligible patients, please remember to request an email from them documenting that they had no eligible patients or have them submit a blank monthly patient information file, so that you can submit a 0-eligible file for that month.
Please remember to submit a DNR for any HHAs that do not send you a file.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

If you have questions, contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

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