The CAHPS Database Research Files

Slide 1

The CAHPS Database Research Files

Janice Ricketts
CAHPS Project Manager, Senior Study Director
&
Naomi Yount, Senior Study Director
Westat

Slide 2

The CAHPS Database

• National repository of data for selected CAHPS surveys:
  • CAHPS Health Plan Survey
  • CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey (CG-CAHPS)
• Two major applications:
  • Comparative data for assessing organizational performance
  • De-identified research data sets for focused studies
• Funded by AHRQ and administered by Westat through CAHPS User Network

Slide 3

CAHPS Database Sources

• CAHPS Health Plan Survey Database:
  • Contains Medicaid and commercial survey results submitted by various sponsors, including public and private employers, State Medicaid agencies, State Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP), and individual health plans
• CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey Database:
  • Contains survey data submitted by practice sites and practice groups on patient experiences with doctors

Slide 4

CAHPS Data Available

• CAHPS Health Plan Survey Database:
  • 17 years of data (1998 – 2015)*
  • Adult and Child Medicaid/CHIP and Commercial**
• CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey Database:
  • 5 years of data (2010 – 2014)
  • Adult and Child 12-Month Survey, PCMH Survey, Visit Survey
• CAHPS Hospital Survey Database:
  • 3 years of data (2005 – 2007)

* The contract that supports the CAHPS program expired during 2012 and new contract was awarded in 2013, therefore the CAHPS Database does not include CAHPS Health Plan Survey data for 2012.
** Survey results for the commercial sector are no longer included in the CAHPS Health Plan Survey Database.

Slide 5

Two Most Recent Years of Data

Number of survey respondents and health plans by year

Year	Adult Medicaid	Child Medicaid	CHIP
2015	61,369 (133)	91,049 (136)	13,466 (19)
2014	68,234 (149)	60,153 (100)	11,762 (15)

 

Number of survey respondents and practice sites by year

Year	Adult Visit	Adult/PCMH	Child/PCMH
2014	312,624 (1,330)	457,415 (2,291)	28,925 (341)
2013	428,154 (1,234)	619,038 (833)	8,265 (105)

 

Slide 6

Contents of the Health Plan Research Files

• Survey item response data including Chronic Conditions items and HEDIS items
• Gender
• Race
• Case mix items:
  • Age
  • Education
  • Self reported physical and mental health status
• Survey mode
• Response rate
• Product type
• Health Plan state
• Region (U.S. Census region)
• Research files are provided in SAS format

Slide 7

Contents of the Clinician & Group Research Files

• Survey item response data including PCMH items
• Gender
• Race
• Case mix items:
  • Age
  • Education
  • Self reported physical and mental health status
• Survey mode
• Survey field period
• Response rate
• Physician Specialty
• Practice ownership & affiliation
• Number of visits per week
• Number providers working each week
• Region (U.S. Census region)

Slide 8

Requesting Research Files

From the CAHPS home page, click on “Request Data for Research”

Image: Screen shot of the CAHPS Home Page with Request Data for Research circled in red.

Slide 9

Requesting Research Files

• Submit written request that includes:
  • Title of proposed research project
  • Statement of problem and objectives
  • Survey type and years of data files requested
  • Description of analytic methods
  • How data will be stored
  • Products that will result from the research
• Submit a signed Data Use Agreement

Slide 10

Requests for Research Files

• To date the CAHPS Database has approved over 100 requests for research data:
  • 61 Health Plan
  • 18 Clinician & Group
  • 22 Hospital
• Receive about 10 requests per year

Slide 11

Research Files in Use

• Summary of research projects:
  • 38 Health Plan
  • 13 Clinician & Group
  • 13 Hospital
• Summary available on the CAHPS Web site and updated annually:
  • http://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/cahps-database/data-research/summary-research-projects2015.pdf

Slide 12

Results of Research Files

Image: Bar chart showing how CAHPS data is being used. The most is for publications in journals and books, then other publications, presentations, internal reports, under review/submitted, other, in progress, and dissertations.

Slide 13

Research Studies and Other Resources

• Sample Research Topics Have Examined:
  • Ratings of access to specialty care across Medicaid and Commercial plans
  • Experiences of children with and without special health care needs over time
  • Differences in missing data rates based on race and age
  • Key drivers of outcome variables on the survey
• A Bibliography is also available on the CAHPS Web site:
  • 10 books
  • 366 articles

Slide 14

Contact the CAHPS Database

• E-mail: CAHPSDatabase@westat.com
• Phone: 1- 888-808-7108
• Web site: https://www.cahpsdatabase.ahrq.gov/

Slide 15

Questions?

Return to 2015 AHRQ Research Conference page