Improving CAHPS survey response rates doesn’t always require a complicated solution.

While you can’t control whether every patient completes a survey, you can control how well your staff understands how the patient experience is being measured, and how effectively you work with your survey vendor.  

At RMS, our goal is to make CAHPS survey administration as seamless and valuable as possible. With decades of experience in healthcare research and patient experience measurement, we’ve seen firsthand how preparation, communication, and staff engagement can strengthen a survey program.

Why do CAHPS survey response rates matter?

Response rates help determine how much patient feedback is available to understand the experiences of the population being surveyed. Strong participation gives healthcare organizations more patient feedback to work with when identifying trends, evaluating the patient experience, and targeting opportunities for improvement

2 Ways To Increase Your CAHPS® Survey Response Rates Right Now

Here are two areas healthcare facilities can focus on now.  

Engage Your Staff in the CAHPS Survey Process 

Your staff are some of your best ambassadors when it comes to the patient experience. 

They understand the nuances of care delivery, interact directly with patients and caregivers, and shape many of the experiences patients are ultimately asked about. They also have the proximity to inform patients of their facility’s surveying program, not for influential purposes but for awareness of the survey efforts.  

That’s why staff engagement is an imperative place to start. 

Rather than treating CAHPS survey administration as something that happens after the patient leaves, help your team understand the survey and the patient experiences it measures prior to the patient walking out the door having already experienced the quality of care.  

Staff should understand: 

• What the CAHPS survey measures 
• Which aspects of the patient experience are included 
• How patients may be contacted 
• Why patient feedback matters to the organization 
• How survey results can support quality and patient experience improvement 

The goal isn’t to influence how patients answer. It’s to help staff understand the experiences being measured and the role they play in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care, mandated or not.  

When employees understand the connection between their everyday interactions and patient feedback, CAHPS surveying becomes more than a requirement — it becomes part of the organization’s broader patient experience strategy.  

Work More Closely With Your CAHPS Survey Vendor 

Another valuable resource that often gets overlooked: your survey vendor. 

Your CAHPS vendor isn’t simply there to administer a questionnaire. An experienced vendor can help your organization better understand the survey process, prepare staff, build awareness, and identify opportunities to strengthen your overall approach. 

Ask your CAHPS survey vendor what resources are available to support your organization, including: 

• Staff education and training 
• Survey awareness resources 
• Branded collateral 
• Guidance on survey administration 
• Patient communication resources 
• Consultation before a new survey cycle 

At RMS, we take a consultative approach with healthcare organizations that want to go beyond simply checking the box on survey administration. 

Before a new survey cycle, that can mean working with staff to assess current survey awareness, discuss the patient experiences being measured, and identify opportunities to better connect the survey process with ongoing patient experience initiatives. 

Questions we may explore include: 

• How familiar is your staff with the survey? 
• What have you done to build survey awareness in the past? 
• How are you currently engaging employees with patient experience? 
• Where might there be opportunities to strengthen the patient experience before the next survey cycle? 

Every department, and every person within your facility, plays a role in the patient experience. 

Your survey vendor can help connect those everyday experiences with the feedback you’ll eventually receive. 

Better Response Rates Start With Better Preparation 

There’s plenty healthcare organizations can’t control: staffing challenges, patient volume, competing priorities, and whether an individual patient ultimately completes a survey. 

But there are factors you can influence. 

Two important places to start are how you engage your staff and how you work with your CAHPS survey vendor. 

Your staff can better understand the experiences patients are being asked about. Your survey vendor can provide the expertise, resources, and support to help you get more value from the survey process. 

Because the goal isn’t simply to collect more completed surveys. It’s to create a stronger feedback loop — one where patients share their experiences, your team understands what the results mean, and your organization turns that feedback into action. 

Make More of Your CAHPS Survey Program 

RMS helps healthcare organizations navigate CAHPS survey administration, patient experience measurement, and survey strategy with a consultative approach built on decades of healthcare research experience. 

Looking to strengthen your CAHPS survey program or prepare your staff for an upcoming survey cycle? Talk with the RMS healthcare research team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CAHPS® survey response rate? A CAHPS survey response rate is the percentage of eligible patients who complete and return a survey, providing feedback about their healthcare experience. 

How can healthcare organizations improve CAHPS® response rates? Healthcare organizations can support stronger response rates by building staff awareness, maintaining accurate patient contact information, and working closely with their CAHPS survey vendor. 

What can a CAHPS® survey vendor do to help? An experienced CAHPS survey vendor can provide survey administration expertise, staff education, awareness resources, and guidance to help organizations strengthen their survey programs.