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HHCAHPS Preview Reports with Star Ratings Available
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted December 11, 2025

Preview Reports reflecting results from the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey from July 2024 through June 2025 (Q3,2024-Q2,2025) are now available on https://homehealthcahps.org via the "Survey Preview Report” link under the “For HHAs” tab. Home health agency (HHA) users must be logged into the website to view their report. These same data will be updated on Medicare’s care compare tool on https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/ in late January 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 refer to this document on the HHCAHPS website: Star Ratings Information

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

Notice of Publication of the Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2026
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted December 2, 2025

The Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2026 was published in the Federal Register on December 2, 2025. The HH PPS CY2026 Final Rule is available on the HHCAHPS website at the link below.

HH PPS CY2026 Final Rule

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.

Registration Now Open for the 2026 Home Health Care CAHPS Survey Trainings
TrainingPosted December 1, 2025

Registration is now open for both the self-paced 2026 Introduction to the HHCAHPS Survey training AND the 2026 HHCAHPS Vendor Update Live Training Webinar. Please note the following:

Registration for these training sessions are available here. Registration closes at 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
The training materials will be available to registered participants beginning 8:00 AM ET on January 21, 2026.

Please review the following important information about the 2026 HHCAHPS Survey training sessions for both new Survey Vendor applicants and returning Approved Survey Vendors.

New Survey Vendor Applicants

New vendors can begin the self-paced 2026 Introduction to the HHCAHPS Survey training on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

All new survey vendor applicants are required to have their designated HHCAHPS Project Manager or Survey Administrator register for and complete the self-paced 2026 Introduction to the HHCAHPS Survey training. In addition to the Project Manager or Survey Administrator, vendors must ensure that appropriate subcontractor staff members with significant roles or who are in receipt of patient identifying data participate in all vendor training sessions as per the Minimum Business Requirements.

If multiple people from an organization plan to attend the training session, each person should register separately using their own unique organization email address and name.

If the vendor’s subcontractor is already working with another approved HHCAHPS vendor, they are not required to complete this training again.

The vendor’s designated Project Manager or Survey Administrator is also required to complete a Training Certification form after completing the on-demand 2026 Introduction to the HHCAHPS Survey training. Certification will open on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and this certification must be completed by 5:00 PM on Friday. February 6, 2026.

Returning Approved Survey Vendors

The 2026 HHCAHPS Vendor Update Live Training Webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from Noon to 2:00 PM ET.

Approved survey vendors and their subcontractors are not required to complete the new self-paced Introduction to the HHCAHPS Survey training. However, we strongly encourage new staff from approved vendor organizations to complete this training. These staff do not need to complete a certification at the end of the training. Please have staff register if they plan to attend.

The survey vendor’s designated HHCAHPS Project Manager or Survey Administrator must attend the entire session. Although not required, we strongly encourage each vendor to have all key HHCAHPS staff attend this training session including sampling and data managers and subcontractor staff.

If multiple people from an organization plan to attend the training session, each person should register separately using their own unique organization email address and name.

There is no required certification for the live HHCAHPS Vendor Update Live Training Webinar.

Vendors with questions about HHCAHPS Survey training or certification should contact the Coordination Team at hhcahps@rti.org or call toll-free 1 (866) 354-0985.

Public Reporting Results Refreshed on Care Compare; Archived Publicly Reported Data Available on HHCAHPS Website
Public ReportingPosted November 20, 2025

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 April 2024 through March 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 November 27 and 28, 2025
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 20, 2025

RTI International will be closed Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28, 2025, for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The HHCAHPS Survey Coordination Team will respond to technical assistance inquiries beginning on Monday, December 1, 2025.

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 Survey Applicant Vendor Requirements
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 3, 2025

This announcement is intended for organizations interested in applying to become approved HHCAHPS Survey vendors. Applicant vendors must complete the following tasks to be considered for approval:

Confirm your organization meets all HHCAHPS Survey Minimum Business Requirements linked here.
Designate a staff member as the HHCAHPS Survey Administrator/Project Manager. That person should:
register for login credentials to gain access to the private side of the website,
complete and submit the online Vendor Application Form and electronic consent form, both located on the Vendor Dashboard after logging in,
register for and complete the 2026 Introduction to the HHCAHPS Survey self-paced training, and
complete and pass the training certification available after training via an emailed link.

NOTE: Other key vendor staff and subcontractors are also encouraged to complete this self-paced Introductory Training.

Agree to implement the HHCAHPS Survey using standardized protocols and procedures described in the HHCAHPS Survey Protocols and Guidelines Manual located on the HHCAHPS website via the “Survey and Protocols” menu.
Complete and submit a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) within 6 weeks after the vendor’s first quarterly HHCAHPS Survey data submission, and on an annual basis thereafter.
Attend all subsequent vendor Update Webinar Training sessions, if granted interim approval.

More information about the survey and the requirements for becoming an approved HHCAHPS Survey vendor are provided on the HHCAHPS Survey website at: Vendor Application Process. Vendors may also contact the Coordination Team at HHCAHPS@RTI.org or call toll-free (866) 354-0985.

Home Health Care CAHPS Survey Vendor Update Webinar Training
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 3, 2025

The next Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey Vendor Update Webinar training session will take place on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The session will be held from Noon to 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Online registration to attend the HHCAHPS Survey Vendor Update Webinar training session will be available in early December. Please monitor this website for an announcement that registration is open.

Survey vendors who wish to retain their status as approved HHCAHPS Survey vendors must have their HHCAHPS Survey Administrator/Project Manager attend the session.
To allow us to accurately track registration attendance lines, please have each of your separately located staff complete their own registration.
We strongly encourage all key HHCAHPS staff, including sampling and data managers and key subcontractors, to attend the training.

Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey Training: Self-Paced Format
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 3, 2025

The next annual Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPSs (HHCAHPS) Survey Training will be offered in a self-paced format beginning in January 2026.

Vendors are required to register for this training online; registration will open in early December. Please monitor this website for an announcement that registration is open.

Survey vendors interested in becoming approved HHCAHPS Survey vendors must have their designated HHCAHPS Survey Administrator/Project Manager register for and review the self-paced introductory training and complete the training certification provided via email.
We strongly encourage all key HHCAHPS staff, including sampling and data managers and key subcontractors, to review the Introduction to HHCAHPS Survey training.
Already approved HHCAHPS vendors are encouraged to have any new staff review the Introductory Training slides to familiarize themselves with HHCAHPS protocols.

CY2025 Quarter 2 Data Submission Deadline Reminder: One Week Left
Data SubmissionsPosted October 9, 2025

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, October 16, 2025. We are now one week away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 2 of calendar year 2025 (CY25,Q2).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY25,Q2 data for their HHA clients. If you have not submitted any data for Quarter 2, we encourage you to begin submitting your files as soon as possible.

Important Points to Remember:

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.
Data files must pass both the initial validation checks and the secondary validation checks.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on October 16, 2025, you must submit all Quarter 2 files on or before Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
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. If needed, be sure to correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
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.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help with data submissions by email (hhcahps@rti.org) or through the toll-free number (1-866-354-0985).

CY2025 Qtr. 2 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted October 2, 2025

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, October 16, 2025. We are now approximately 2 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 2 of calendar year 2025 (CY25,Q2).

Important Points to Remember:

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.
Data files must pass both the initial validation checks and the secondary validation checks.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on October 16, 2025, you must submit all Quarter 2 files on or before Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
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. If needed, be sure to correct and re-submit all files before the data submission deadline.
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.
Check your Vendor Authorization Report to make sure that each HHA client has authorized your organization to submit data on their behalf.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help with data submissions by email (hhcahps@rti.org) or through the toll-free number (1-866-354-0985).

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