Home Health Brief
Update

Hospice CAHPS data is due Nov. 11: quality reporting dates, home health star ratings and HOPE

The short answer: Hospice CAHPS data for patients who died in April through June 2026 is due Nov. 11, 2026, by 8 p.m. ET, and survey guidelines V13.0 start in the first quarter of 2027. The home health CAHPS deadline passed Oct. 15; the next is Jan. 21, 2027. Home health star ratings update quarterly.

Second-quarter hospice CAHPS data is due Nov. 11, and new survey guidelines apply from the first quarter of 2027. The home health CAHPS deadline just passed. Here is how the star ratings and HOPE fit in.

By Published Last updated 5 sources linked
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At a glance

Hospice CAHPS Q2 2026 (deaths in April-June) data submission deadline is Nov. 11, 2026; vendors must submit by 8:00 p.m. ET. Sources below

Hospice CAHPS: Nov. 11 deadline, new guidelines in January

The CAHPS Hospice Survey measures the experiences of patients who died while receiving hospice care and of their informal primary caregivers. Its official site posted a reminder on October 13. Data for patients who died in April, May and June 2026 (Quarter 2) is due November 11, 2026, and survey vendors are responsible for submitting files by 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT). The site says submitted files go through edit checks and advises vendors to allow time for resubmissions.

Next, survey administration changes guidelines. The site lists survey materials under Quality Assurance Guidelines V12.0 as ending with Q4 2026 administration and V13.0 materials as starting with Q1 2027. V13.0 was posted September 18. The site has also posted public reporting documents for a November 2026 refresh (the exact refresh date isn't stated there), and says hospices get a 30-day preview of their CAHPS results before each quarterly Care Compare release.

The site also says a hospice must have a CAHPS Hospice Survey Vendor Authorization Form on file with the RAND Corporation before its vendor can submit data on its behalf.

Home health CAHPS: Q2 deadline has passed

The HHCAHPS Survey's deadline table lists October 15, 2026 as the data submission deadline for the second quarter of 2026, and the survey site posted a one-week reminder on October 8. That date has passed. The same table lists the next deadlines: January 21, 2027 (third quarter 2026) and April 15, 2027 (fourth quarter 2026).

How the home health star ratings work

According to CMS, Care Compare has two home health star ratings, and both update quarterly:

  • Quality of Patient Care, based on OASIS assessments and Medicare claims. It was first posted in July 2015. An agency needs data on 5 of the 7 measures to get a rating, and at least 20 completed episodes or stays for a measure to be reported. The measures cover timely initiation of care; improvement in ambulation, bed transferring, bathing, shortness of breath and oral medication management; and potentially preventable hospitalization.
  • Patient Survey, based on HHCAHPS. It was first posted in January 2016. An agency needs 40 or more completed surveys over the four-quarter reporting period to receive a rating; agencies with fewer still have their HHCAHPS data publicly reported, but without stars.

For Quality of Patient Care ratings, agencies get preview reports about 3.5 months before ratings post on Care Compare. For Patient Survey ratings, the preview comes about one month before posting. In both cases agencies then have several weeks to send CMS proof of a calculation error and ask for a review.

Since July 1, 2025, agencies must collect and submit OASIS data for all patients, regardless of payer. CMS says OASIS-based measures are still calculated only for Medicare fee-for-service, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and Medicaid managed care patients.

HOPE: hospice's assessment tool, one year in

HOPE, the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation, replaced the Hospice Item Set. It was finalized in the FY 2025 hospice rule (CMS-1810-F), and data collection began October 1, 2025. HOPE adds HOPE Update Visits, extra data-collection points in the first 30 days after a patient elects hospice. Hospices must submit up to two, depending on the length of the stay. CMS has finalized two HOPE-based quality measures and says it may add more. Guidance manual v1.03 is posted, and questions go to HospiceQualityQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.

Related: Home health and hospice dates to know through January 2027

Sources

Related: our health alerts and deadlines.

It is general information, not clinical, billing or legal advice.*

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources and reviewed by Monsaur Othman before publication. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.

Informational only, not billing, legal or clinical advice. Check the linked primary source and your Medicare Administrative Contractor.

Key facts and where they come from

  • Hospice CAHPS Q2 2026 (deaths in April-June) data submission deadline is Nov. 11, 2026; vendors must submit by 8:00 p.m. ET. source 1
  • HHCAHPS CY2026 Q2 data submission deadline was Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. source 1
  • Hospice CAHPS: QAG V12.0 survey materials end with Q4 2026 administration; QAG V13.0 starts Q1 2027; November 2026 public reporting refresh documents posted; 30-day preview before each quarterly Care Compare release; 38-question survey. source 1
  • HOPE replaced HIS (finalized in CMS-1810-F, FY 2025 hospice rule); data collection began Oct. 1, 2025; up to two HOPE Update Visits in the first 30 days; two HOPE-based quality measures finalized. source 1
  • Home health: two star ratings (Quality of Patient Care from OASIS and claims, first posted July 2015; Patient Survey from HHCAHPS, first posted January 2016), both updated quarterly; QoPC needs 5 of 7 measures and 20 episodes/stays per measure; preview reports about 3.5 months before posting; several weeks to request review; all-payer OASIS collection mandated from July 1, 2025, but OASIS measures still calculated for Medicare FFS, MA, Medicaid and Medicaid managed care only. source 1