Embracing Transparency:

Best Practice Methodology for Converting CAHPS Survey Responses to Online Star Ratings

To achieve consistency across hospitals and health systems implementing their own transparency programs, National Research has worked closely with industry-leading organizations and PhD data scientists to develop this best-practice methodology for converting CAHPS survey response data into online star ratings.

The paper discusses how to meet the following methodological requirements to ensure a provider-based transparency initiative that is accurate, simple, and objective:

• Using robust samples
• Determining focus items
• Standardizing response scales
• Calculating the rating

• Including all patient ratings
• Calculating scores across survey types
• Publishing meaningful qualitative data
• Enforcing strict comment exclusion criteria