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Deadline for Filing a Request for an Exemption from Participating in the HHCAHPS Survey for the CY 2028 APU
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted November 9, 2026

As announced in the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year (CY) 2027, published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2026, Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) that served 59 or fewer unduplicated patients who met survey eligibility criteria between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, are required to submit a Participation Exemption Request (PER) form on the HHCAHPS website for the CY 2028 APU period.

CY2028 PER Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on December 31, 2026

This deadline has shifted to reflect CMS’s adjusted timing for the HHCAHPS APU period as described in the CY2027 Final Rule noted above.

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.

Prepare NOW for the start of the Calendar Year 2029 Annual Payment Update (APU)
Information for Home Health AgenciesPosted November 9, 2026

In the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2027, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shifted the HHCAHPS annual payment update (APU) period to calendar year (January through December). The calendar year (CY) 2029 APU data collection requirement for HHCAHPS Survey participation begins with the January 2027 sample month.

Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) that are not yet participating in HHCAHPS and served 60 or more survey-eligible unique patients between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026 should complete these preparatory steps in order as soon as possible:

Designate a staff person to serve as the agency’s HHCAHPS Survey Administrator (SA) and have that person complete the two-step registration process:
1. Register for login credentials on this website at the following link: Register for Login Credentials.
2. Register the agency’s CCN(s) via the “Register CCNs” link in the For HHAs menu tab after logged in.
Contract with an approved HHCAHPS Survey vendor listed on the website, beginning with the January 2027 sample month. A list of the approved HHCAHPS Survey vendors is available here: Approved Survey Vendors.
Complete the online Vendor Authorization form for that vendor on this website by selecting the “Authorize a Vendor” link in the For HHAs menu after logging in.

For more information on these start-up activities, please refer to the following documents:

Getting Started (this document will be updated early January 2027 to reference the CY 2029 APU participation period): Getting Started With the HHCAHPS Survey
How to Authorize a Vendor: How to Perform HHA HHCAHPS Survey Vendor Authorization Functions

Please note, Medicare-certified HHAs that served fewer than 60 survey-eligible unique patients between January 1, 2026-December 31, 2026 are eligible for an exemption from participating in the HHCAHPS Survey. Such HHAs must complete the online HHCAHPS Participation Exemption Request (PER) form for the CY 2029 APU period, which will be available on the HHCAHPS website early January 2027. An announcement will be posted with more information about filing for an exemption and when the online PER form for the CY 2029 APU period is available.

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.

Notice of Publication of the Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2027
Public ReportingPosted November 9, 2026

The Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update Final Rule for Calendar Year 2027 was published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2026. The HH PPS CY2027 Final Rule is available on the HHCAHPS website at the link below.

HH PPS CY2027 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.

HHCAHPS Survey Applicant Vendor Requirements
Other AnnouncementsPosted November 2, 2026

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 2027 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 https://homehealthcahps.org website via the “Survey and Protocols” menu.
Complete and submit a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) by April 2, 2027.
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 https://homehealthcahps.org/General-Information/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
TrainingPosted November 2, 2026

The next Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey Vendor Update Webinar training session will take place on Wednesday, January 27, 2027. 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 the HHCAHPS 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.
- All vendor subcontractors are required to participate in the Update Training. This is a new requirement for 2027. A failure to do so may result in a Corrective Action Plan being issued to the Approved Survey Vendor.
To allow us to accurately track registration attendance, please have each of your separately located staff complete their own registration. This includes subcontractors.
We strongly encourage all key HHCAHPS staff to attend the training.

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.

Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPS Survey Training: Self-Paced Format
TrainingPosted November 2, 2026

The next annual Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPSs (HHCAHPS) Survey Training will be offered in a self-paced format beginning in January 2027.

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.

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 October 21, 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 April 2025 through March 2026 are now available 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, and
patient mix adjustment coefficients for the linearized data used to construct the star ratings.

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.

CY2026 Quarter 2 Data Submission Deadline Reminder: One Week Left
Data SubmissionsPosted October 8, 2026

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, October 15, 2026. We are now one week away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 2 of calendar year 2026 (CY2026,Q2).

We thank those HHCAHPS vendors who have already begun submitting CY2026,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:

If you have not already done so, please remove any mail seed recipients from your data files before submitting, if applicable.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on October 15, 2026, we strongly recommend that vendors begin submitting their Quarter 2 data files by no later than Monday, October 12, 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.

HHCAHPS Coordination Team Quarterly Review (CTQR) Newsletter – October 2026 Edition
Other AnnouncementsPosted October 1, 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 for submitting test files
Reminders for the upcoming October Quarterly Data Submission
Details on Public Reporting for 2027
Outcome of 2026 Oversight Activities
Upcoming key dates and deadlines

CTQR newsletters are posted on the HHCAHPS website and updated quarterly. You can navigate to the newsletter located under the General Information tab on the HHCAHPS website or click this link: CTQR Newsletter – October 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 Quarter 2 Data Submission Deadline Reminder
Data SubmissionsPosted October 1, 2026

The next data submission deadline is Thursday, October 15, 2026. We are now approximately 2 weeks away from the deadline for submitting HHCAHPS Survey data for Quarter 2 of calendar year 2026 (CY2026,Q2).

Important Points to Remember:

If you have not already done so, please remove any mail seed recipients from your data files before submitting, if applicable.
To ensure that files can be accepted by the deadline of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on October 15, 2026, we strongly recommend that vendors begin submitting their Quarter 2 data files by no later than Monday, October 12, 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.

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