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Submitting HHCAHPS Test XML Data Files
Data SubmissionsPosted July 13, 2026

As discussed during the January 2026 HHCAHPS Update Webinar Training, HHCAHPS Survey vendors that will be submitting Quarter 2, 2026 data to the HHCAHPS Data Center in October 2026 are required to submit a test XML data file that passes all data validation checks using the updated Data Submission Tool on the HHCAHPS website.

Survey vendors who will not be submitting data in October may still participate in the test file submission exercise, but participation for them is optional. If your organization is interested in participating in the test submission, please alert the Coordination Team of this via email (hhcahps@rti.org) by Wednesday, 7/15 as our team will need to set up a dummy vendor authorization for a successful upload.

The table below displays the anticipated timeline of test file submission activities.

Activity	Estimated Date(s)
Last data submission of current survey data (2026Q1)	7/16/2026
HHCAHPS data submission tools unavailable for the transition of the updated tools	7/17/2026 - 7/26/2026
Test window for vendors to submit test XML data files	7/27/2026 - 8/10/2026
HHCAHPS data submission tools unavailable to review test files and ready the live tools. IMPORTANT: During this time, all test files and their data will be deleted from the system.	8/11/2026 - 8/30/2026
Data submission tools re-open to accept live data for Quarter 2, 2026	8/31/2026

As your team prepares your test XML data file, please follow the guidance below:

Use the updated XML data file layouts available on the Data Submission Resources webpage on the HHCAHPS website, under the “Updated Files” header.
Adhere to the content guidelines for the XML data files:
- Include 100 test cases – 50 completes, 20 breakoffs, and 30 non-interview (ex: refusal, deceased, bad address, no response after max attempts, etc.).
- Use April, May or June 2026 for the Sample Month and Sample Year fields.
- There are no restrictions on other variables (e.g., survey mode, proxy, survey language).
- Use dummy data (i.e., vendors should NOT use live patient data as the test files will be deleted).
Include “TEST” in the file name.

As part of this exercise, if your team receives a data validation error after submitting the revised XML data file, please address the error(s) and resubmit until there are no more remaining validation errors. Vendors should make note of the error(s) received and make any necessary corrections to their XML file generation system, process and/or quality control checks. If you receive a validation error that you are unable to correct, please reach out to the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team with details about the error so that we may assist you.

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.

CY2026 Quarter 1 Data Submission Deadline Reminder: One Week Left
Data SubmissionsPosted July 9, 2026

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, July 16, 2025. We are now one week away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 1 of calendar year 2026 (CY2026,Q1).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY2026,Q1 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 1, 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 of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Thursday July 16, 2026, we strongly recommend that vendors begin submitting their Quarter 1 data files by no later than Monday, July 13, 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, if needed, correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
Data files must pass both the initial and the secondary validation checks.
Vendors 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.

Request for Telephone Administration Times of the HHCAHPS Survey
Other AnnouncementsPosted July 7, 2026

The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team is gathering information on the revised survey administration. To assist us in reviewing comparisons between the old survey and the newly revised survey, we are asking phone only and mixed mode vendors to provide us with your average telephone administration times for your latest quarterly data submission for both standard and proxy interviews.

If possible, we would prefer to receive the administration time without any supplemental questions included. If that is not possible, please let us know your average administration times with these supplemental questions. Please provide this information to us after you have submitted your quarterly data submission, but no later than Monday, July 20, 2026.

To submit this information, please send an email to the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team (hhcahps@rti.org) with the subject line of Survey Administration Time for YOURVENDORNAME. In this body of the email, copy and paste the following text, add in the administration times where requested, and choose yes or no in response to the question about whether your count includes supplemental questions:

Quarter 1, 2026 (Old Survey) Administration Times

Standard Survey: ___ minutes➔does this include supplemental questions? Yes/No
PROXY Survey: ___ minutes➔does this include supplemental questions? Yes/No

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.

HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) Newsletter – July 2026 Edition
Other AnnouncementsPosted July 6, 2026

The next issue of the HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) newsletter, which provides information about HHCAHPS to home health agencies and survey vendors, has been posted. In this issue of the newsletter you’ll find…

A big thank you to our vendors
Reminders for the upcoming July Quarterly Data Submission
Next steps for the revised HHCAHPS Survey
Information on the revised data submission tools and XML testing
Upcoming key dates and deadlines

CTQR newsletters are posted on the HHCAHPS website and updated quarterly. You can navigate to the April 2026 newsletter located under the General Information tab on the HHCAHPS website or click this link: CTQR Newsletter – July 2026.

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

CY2026 Qtr. 1 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted July 2, 2026

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, July 16, 2026. We are now approximately 2 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 1 of calendar year 2026 (CY2026,Q1).

Important Points to Remember:

To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on July 16, 2026, we strongly recommend that vendors begin submitting their Quarter 1 data files by no later than Monday, July 13, 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.
Vendors 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.

RTI International will be closed Friday, July 3, 2026
Other AnnouncementsPosted June 25, 2026

RTI International will be closed Friday, July 3, 2026, in observance of Independence Day. The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries when our offices reopen on Monday, July 6, 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.

CY26 Qtr. 1 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted June 18, 2026

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, July 16, 2026. We are now approximately 4 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 1 of calendar year 2026 (CY26,Q1).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY26,Q1 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 1, 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 July 16, 2026, you must submit all of your Quarter 1 files on or before Wednesday, July 15, 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.

HHCAHPS Preview Reports with Star Ratings Available
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted June 11, 2026

The purpose of this announcement is to alert home health agencies (HHAs) that Preview Reports reflecting results from the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey from January 2025 through December 2025 (2025, Q1-Q4) are now available on https://homehealthcahps.org via the "Survey Preview Report” link under the “For HHAs” tab. HHA users must be logged into the website to view their report. These same data will be updated on Medicare’s compare tool on https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/ in July 2026.

The Preview Reports present the publicly reported results, which also include star ratings for those agencies with data for 40 or more patient surveys in the 4-quarter reporting period.

For more information about the Preview Reports, please refer to this document on the HHCAHPS website: Understanding the HHCAHPS Survey Preview Reports

For more information about HHCAHPS star ratings, including Frequently Asked Questions, please click here: Star Ratings Information

If HHA users need assistance accessing their Report, please contact the HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team via email at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free at (866) 354-0985.

RTI International will be closed Monday, May 25, 2026
Other AnnouncementsPosted May 19, 2026

RTI International will be closed Monday, May 25, 2026 in observance of Memorial Day. The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to email and telephone technical assistance inquiries when our offices reopens on Tuesday, May 26, 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.

Public Reporting Results Refreshed on Care Compare; Archived Publicly Reported Data Available on HHCAHPS Website
Public ReportingPosted April 22, 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 October 2024 through September 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.

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