Debunking the Top 10 Misconceptions About OAS CAHPS for Surgical Centers

Nexus Health Resources clarifies misconceptions about the OAS CAHPS Survey 

Starting in 2025, ASC participation in the OAS CAHPS survey has shifted from being voluntary; participation is now linked to ASC reimbursement. With this significant change, several misconceptions about the OAS CAHPS Survey remain. Below, we clarify these misunderstandings and outline the key rules and regulations governing the survey. 

1. Once the ASC gets 200 complete surveys, it can stop for the year. 

To ensure the results are statistically accurate, the goal is to collect at least 200 completed OAS CAHPS surveys for each ASC over a 12-month reporting period. That 200-survey target isn’t a cutoff point where surveying or processing stops; it’s just the target. For an ASC to be compliant, the surveys are conducted for the entire year and are not stopped after 200 complete surveys.  

2. I can contact patients who respond with negative answers or comments.  

ASCs are not permitted to discuss survey responses with the patient or ask patients why they answered a survey question a certain way or gave a particular rating. 

3. My ASC will be penalized if we do not reach 200 surveys completed within 12 months. 

There’s no financial penalty if your ASC doesn’t reach the target of 200 surveys completed within 12 months. ASCs with lower patient volumes who will not reach the 200 completed survey goal should survey all eligible patients to ensure accurate results reflecting the true value of their patient population. 

4. The survey has so many questions that it will take a long time to complete, and no one will complete it. 

Before the survey was launched, testing was conducted in the summer of 2014 to evaluate its reliability and length. The national response rate for all ASCs participating in the OAS CAHPS is 27%. The phone survey takes approximately 8 minutes.   

5. Patients with frequent procedures or surgeries will get frustrated by being surveyed too often.  

Patients are eligible to be surveyed only once every 6 months.  The survey vendor handles that eligibility requirement.  

6. I must report my OAS CAHPS results to CMS.  

The survey vendor, not the ASC, prepares and submits data files to the OAS CAHPS Data Center. 

7. We can exclude OAS CAHPS questions irrelevant to our ASC’s procedures. 

The wording, question order, and response options on the OAS CAHPS survey must remain exactly as they are. No changes are allowed. 

8. Only Medicare patients get surveyed for OAS CAHPS. 

Patient eligibility for the survey includes patients with all payer types, not just Medicare. 

9. My surgical center is exempt from the OAS CAHPS for this year, so there is no benefit to participating in the OAS CAHPS survey. 

For ASCs exempt from the survey, you may consider participating to avoid missing out on being included in the public reporting of patient experience scores. By participating in 2025, the ASC will have patient experience star ratings on Care Compare updates scheduled for October 2026. 

10. My surgical center is in the same building as the patient clinic, so the patient’s experience with the clinic might decrease the OAS CAHPS scores.   

Patients may have different experiences with a clinic in the same building or a clinic with a similar name to your ASC. To assist the patient in providing answers solely on the ASC, survey instructions are given to the patient before the survey begins, instructing the patient to focus only on their experience with a specific procedure — whether diagnostic, surgical or another type — that took place on a particular surgery date. To avoid confusion, you can also work with your survey vendor to ensure they use the facility name most familiar to your patients, helping distinguish your ASC from affiliated clinics. 

SIS Surveys Powered by Nexus Health is here to support you

SIS Surveys, powered by Nexus Health, streamlines compliance by automating the monthly submission of patient lists through a direct data feed between SIS solutions and OAS CAHPS survey vendor Nexus Health Resources. Contact the SIS Team for more information.