don't do enough volume to collect 300 surveys over a 12-month
reporting period must survey all eligible patients.
5. How do I select a vendor?
It depends on factors including cost and the survey mode: by phone
or by mail. Some vendors do one or the other, while others offer both,
and each has its own cost structure.
"We like the mail survey better, though I know we might get a better
response by doing both," says Charles Busack, MHA, administrator of
Berks Urologic Surgery Center in Reading, Pa. "But if they offer both,
they also might charge you more."
6. What's the cost?
Annual prices range from $2,000 to more than $10,000. Plus, there's an
implementation or setup fee of $250 to $500, though some vendors are
waiving that fee during the voluntary period.
Raymond Hino, MPA, FACHE, the administrator for Skyway Surgery
Center in Chico, Calif., added questions to the standard OAS CAHPS
survey — CMS permits no more than 14 additional questions — which
came at an additional cost. He says his facility pays its survey vendor
about $4,500 per year.
7. How will my patients react?
"I wonder how many patients are going to take the time to fill out a
37-question survey," says Vicki V. Schultz, RN, CASC, the CEO of
Women's Specialty Surgery Center of Dallas, Texas. "We have a 10-
question survey, and most patients are so happy to have a procedure
completed, they complete it right away so we get immediate feed-
back. I think OAS CAHPS is going to delay that."
Some have expressed concern over the survey's 13 personal-infor-
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