This category measures the patient’s experience with:

• Getting the necessary care when needed at your office or clinic.
• How soon the patient received care at your office or clinic

Sample questions that may be found in the CAHPS® survey:

• When you needed care right away, how often did you get care as soon as you needed?
• How often did you get an appointment for a check-up or routine care at a doctor's office or clinic as soon as you needed?

Helpful tips and recommendations:

• Ensure your patients are seen within 15 minutes of arrival to your office or clinic.
• Provide frequent updates to your patients regarding long wait times.
• Provide a timeframe for when your patients can expect their test results

This category measures the patient’s experience with:

• Getting the necessary care when needed at your office or clinic.
• How soon the patient received care at your office or clinic.

Sample questions that may be found in the CAHPS® survey:

• When you needed care right away, how often did you get care as soon as you needed?
• How often did you get an appointment for a check-up or routine care at a doctor's office or clinic as soon as you needed?

Helpful tips and recommendations:

• Ensure your patients are seen within 15 minutes of arrival to your office or clinic.
• Provide frequent updates to your patients regarding long wait times.
• Provide a timeframe for when your patients can expect their test results.

This category measures whether the patient had a discussion with the provider regarding:

• The reasons for taking or not taking a medication.
• Starting or stopping a prescription and what was best for the patient.

Sample questions that may be found in the CAHPS® survey:

• Did you and a doctor or other health provider talk about the reasons you might want to take a medication?
• When you talked about starting or stopping a prescription medicine, did a doctor or other health provider ask you what was best for you?

Helpful tips and recommendations:

• Actively listen to your patients.
• Be transparent when discussing your patient’s test results and the available treatment options.
• Allow your patients to provide their input in the decision-making process.

This category measures the patient’s satisfaction with:

• Providers communicating with the patient that was easily understandable.
• Providers listening to the patient.
• Providers showing respect to the patient’s input and spending enough time with the patient.

Sample questions that may be found in the CAHPS® survey:

• How often did your personal doctor explain things in a way that was easy to understand?
• How often did your personal doctor listen carefully to you?
• How often did your personal doctor show respect for what you had to say?
• How often did your personal doctor spend enough time with you?

Helpful tips and recommendations:

• Reduce the use of medical jargon when communicating with your patients. Some patients may not understand complex medical terminologies.
• Be respectful toward your patients and allow them enough time to express their concerns.

This category measures whether the patient had a discussion with the provider regarding:

• Quitting smoking or using tobacco and the need for medication to assist with quitting smoking or using tobacco.
• Healthy eating habits and physical activity as a method of disease prevention.

Sample questions that may be found in the CAHPS® survey:

• How often were you advised to quit smoking or using tobacco by a doctor or other health provider in your plan?
• How often was medication recommended or discussed by a doctor or health provider to assist you with quitting smoking or using tobacco?
• How often did your doctor or health provider discuss or provide methods and strategies other than medication to assist you with quitting smoking or using tobacco?

Helpful tips and recommendations:

• Remind your patients of preventative screenings, which may be covered under their health plan.
• Provide any necessary health educational materials.

This category measures whether a child’s doctor discussed the child’s health appropriately with the parents, and whether the physician demonstrated an understanding of how a condition affects the child’s and the family’s day-to-day life.

Questions that generate the Family-Centered Care score in the CAHPS® survey:

• Child's personal doctor talked with you about how your child is feeling, growing or behaving. (Yes/No)
• Child's personal doctor understands how child's conditions affect your child's day-to-day life. (Yes/No)
• Child's personal doctor understands how child's conditions affect your family's day-to-day life. (Yes/No)

Helpful tips and recommendations:

• Ensure that the parent understands what you are saying about the child’s health. Have the parent explain anything of significance back to you.
• Explain and discuss how a child’s condition will affect both their day-to-day experience, but also the experience of their family. Offer multiple opportunities for the parent/caretaker to ask questions.