Need to Know: The OAS CAHPS® Survey in 2026
At RMS, we continue to build upon our diligent and industrious abilities as a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved vendor of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems® (CAHPS®) for Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery (OAS) surveys, since their inception. With well over a decade of experience among all CAHPS survey product lines, RMS continues to be an industry-leader, highly skilled and efficient in CAHPS survey administration, data collection, submission and reporting. Additionally, we have among the highest response rates in the industry and across the United States thanks to our team’s steadfast collaboration and dedication to our clients’ expectations and desired outcomes.
What’s new in 2026?
With the OAS CAHPS survey having been mandated since January 1, 2025, public reporting of OAS CAHPS data for Ambulatory Surgical Centers will start in 2026 and will be available on the Provider Data Catalog & the Medicare Care Compare website, providing patients with new data to compare surgery centers. The initial public reporting scheduled for January 2026 will include data from April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025. Participation in the OAS CAHPS survey remains mandatory for ASCs tied to Medicare reimbursement, and requires ASCs to work with a CMS-approved vendor to administer the survey. Failure to comply can result in a 2% Medicare payment penalty. CMS-approved vendors like RMS will help manage the survey process, including the collection of mandatory data and technological interfaces and processes, as well as all data submission. Facilities can choose from five different survey administration modes including mail only, phone only, mail with phone follow-up, electronic with mail follow-up, and electronic with phone follow-up.
How to prepare
- Choose a vendor: Select a CMS-approved vendor to configure survey administration and setup with necessary technology processes. Consider benchmarking your organization’s success by working with a reputable vendor such as RMS, who provides the navigation your facility needs to improve your scores, directly impacting your appeal to new and existing patients.
- Monitor patient data: Collaborate with a CMS-approved survey vendor who keeps track of patient eligibility, ensuring you meet the mandatory survey requirements. The minimum is 200 completed surveys
- Embrace patient-centered care: New transparencies emphasize the importance of patient satisfaction. Focusing on patient experience and working with an approved vendor who will guide your facility throughout the patient-centered survey process is crucial for competitiveness. The OAS CAHPS survey measures patient experiences by covering topics of communication and care provided by health care providers and office staff, surgery or procedure preparation, as well as preparations for discharge and recovery
Survey details
Per CMS, “the OAS CAHPS Survey measures the experiences of patients who receive outpatient or ambulatory services from hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).” The OAS CAHPS survey mail and web questionnaires contain 34 questions, and the OAS CAHPS survey telephone script addresses 32 questions. The survey can be administered as a standalone survey or can be combined with supplemental questions which follow specified guidelines. Surveying will be conducted monthly, like many other CAHPS surveys, as required by CMS. RMS offers multiple modes of surveying, giving facilities the option to choose one that best meets the needs of their organization. For more information about the OAS CAHPS survey process, qualifications, quality measures, and what sets RMS apart from other CAHPS survey vendors, contact us [email protected] or call 315.635.9802.
Our Expertise
RMS has assisted ambulatory surgery centers, hospital outpatient departments, hospitals, accountable care organizations, physician practices, home health and hospice agencies, and in-center hemodialysis facilities set benchmarks for current patient satisfaction to improve their services and overall patient satisfaction.
Comprehensive Service
Not only is RMS Healthcare a CMS-approved vendor for the OAS CAHPS surveying process, we’re also approved for survey administration among seven additional CAHPS product lines, as well as custom-tailored patient surveying. For more information or to request a proposal, please contact our team at [email protected] or by calling 1-866-567-5422.
Explore more of our site to learn about all the benefits RMS can bring to your organization through targeted research and focused marketing strategies.
Relational RMS Blogs:
RMS/OAS CAHPS Surveys – An Informative Outline
Don’t Postpone, Move Forward with OAS CAHPS Surveying
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About RMS Healthcare
Since 2010, RMS Healthcare, a division of Research and Marketing Strategies, Inc., has been leading healthcare organizations to embrace operational changes to improve the quality driven approach in providing patient-centered care delivery. We understand that every health system presents unique scenarios, challenges and ultimately, a passion to succeed. We work closely with our clients to cultivate cohesive and long-term partnerships. We have extensive experience in aligning practices to develop, implement and adopt processes to ensure sustainable success that embodies the tenants of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care delivery, experience in leading Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) through the certification process. RMS Healthcare also has extensive experience in providing targeted healthcare consultative services based upon unique client needs.
About RMS
Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) is a full-service market research firm in Central New York. Formed in 2002, RMS helps organizations that are looking to know more about their customers and/or potential customers. They conduct surveys, focus groups, mystery shopping, studies and analysis. Each project is customized and gets personal attention by the best in the business. RMS has a reputation for getting results and offers an independent means to conduct telephone, on-line and mail surveying, In-depth interviews, intercept interviews, and participant recruitment as well as focus group hosting through QualiSight, its onsite call center and focus group facility. Taking advantage of the region’s reputation for being a great market study barometer, RMS recruits and moderates for focus groups, community forums and town meetings.