What is the Hospice CAHPS Survey?

The Hospice CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Survey is the CMS-mandated post-death family-experience survey. Every Medicare-certified hospice must participate; CAHPS scores are publicly reported on the CMS Care Compare site.

By Goodwin Hospice Academy Editorial Team· Published February 16, 2026·Last reviewed February 16, 2026· 5 min read

Hospice CAHPS, in one sentence

The Hospice CAHPS is a CMS-mandated survey of bereaved family members that measures the family’s experience of the hospice care their loved one received.

What CAHPS measures

CAHPS covers eight quality measures including: hospice team communication, getting timely help, treating the patient with respect, emotional and religious support, help for pain and symptoms, informational support, understanding the side effects of medications, and overall rating of the hospice.

Who administers it

A CMS-approved survey vendor administers the survey to a random sample of families of decedents. The hospice contracts with a vendor and provides monthly decedent files.

Public reporting

Hospice CAHPS results are publicly reported on the CMS Care Compare website (formerly Hospice Compare). This is a family-facing quality display and increasingly influences referral decisions.

Frequently asked questions

Do we get to see individual survey responses?

Individual responses are typically not shared with the hospice. Aggregated scores by measure are provided in vendor reports and eventually published on Care Compare.

How can we improve our CAHPS scores?

Focus on the family-facing components of your work: proactive team communication, timely response to phone calls, symptom-management follow-through in the last week, and clear medication education. Bereavement follow-up matters too — families remember the whole arc.

How is the sample selected?

The survey vendor samples decedents monthly per CMS specifications. Small hospices may have most or all decedents surveyed; larger hospices are sampled.

Sources & further reading

Educational content only. Not a substitute for your organization’s policies, your medical director’s clinical judgment, or current CMS guidance.

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