Medicare calculates patient survey and outcomes data based on a patient survey called the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. This survey is administered to family caregivers and is intended to assess hospices’ performance in general, not just their performance in senior housing.

The CAHPS survey focuses on key aspects of care, including communication with family members, support provided to patients and caregivers, and the overall quality of care. By capturing feedback from family caregivers, CMS aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the patient experience within hospice agencies.

These star ratings differ from the consumer ratings commonly found on websites for products, restaurants, or hotels, which reflect averages of consumers' opinions. CMS star ratings rank all hospice agencies on a comparative scale from lowest to highest performance. As a result, some agencies may be ranked below others even when providing good quality care.

Survey data may not be available for all hospice agencies, as the availability depends on the sample size and participation in the CAHPS survey program. For more details about the survey and its methodology, visit the official CAHPS survey website: hospicecahpssurvey.org.