Patient Experience Survey (ICH-CAHPS-Type) W.G.M. Rivero MD · FPCP · DPSN · · renalcarematters.com · 2026
Patient-Experience Instrument · Section 6.8
Patient Experience Survey
Modeled on the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH-CAHPS) domains, for local tracking between official administration cycles — Dialysis Center QAPI vs. CQI field manual, Section 6.8.
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W.G.M. Rivero MD
FPCP · DPSN
Nephrology
renalcarematters.com
6
Experience domains tracked, matching the field manual
~5 min
For a patient or caregiver to complete
Anonymous
No name required — initials optional, for follow-up only
1How to Use This Survey
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1 · Offer
Offer at chair-side or in the waiting area, on a rolling basis across the reporting cycle.
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2 · Complete
Patient or caregiver fills it in directly, or a staff member not involved in their care reads it aloud.
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3 · Aggregate
Drop completed forms in a sealed box; the quality officer tallies domain scores monthly or quarterly.

Each domain below mirrors a tracked category in the field manual's dashboard (Section 6.8, "Patient experience & patient-reported outcomes"). This is a house instrument for local, frequent, low-stakes tracking — it is not the validated, CMS-administered ICH-CAHPS survey used for the official Percent of ICH-CAHPS Survey Composite Measures Reporting requirement or Five-Star ratings. Continue your unit's official CMS-approved-vendor ICH-CAHPS cycle in parallel; use this form to catch problems between those cycles.

Unit / facility name Month / quarter ModeSelf · Read-aloud ModalityHD · PD Patient initials (optional)
ANephrologist Communication & Caring
In the last month, how often did your kidney doctor…NeverSometimesUsuallyAlways
…explain things in a way you could understand?
…listen carefully to you?
…treat you with courtesy and respect?
…spend enough time with you?
BDialysis Center Staff Communication & Caring
In the last month, how often did the dialysis-unit staff…NeverSometimesUsuallyAlways
…treat you with courtesy and respect?
…listen carefully to you?
…keep you informed about wait times or delays?
…work well as a team during your treatment?

Scale: Never = 1 · Sometimes = 2 · Usually = 3 · Always = 4. Domain score = mean of item scores; report the % of respondents answering "Usually" or "Always" (the standard CAHPS top-box convention) alongside the mean.

Educational data-collection aid. A house instrument modeled on ICH-CAHPS domains — not the validated, CMS-administered ICH-CAHPS survey. Does not replace your official CMS-approved-vendor survey cycle. renalcarematters.com
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Patient Experience Survey — continued
Being Kept Informed · Global Ratings · Comments · Office Use
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CBeing Kept Informed
Since starting dialysis at this center…NeverSometimesUsuallyAlways
…were you told what to expect from your treatment schedule?
…were you told about kidney transplant as an option, if eligible?
…did staff explain any change in your care plan before making it?
DGlobal Ratings (0 = worst possible, 10 = best possible)

Using any number from 0 to 10, how would you rate your kidney doctor?

012345678910

Using any number from 0 to 10, how would you rate the dialysis center staff?

012345678910

Using any number from 0 to 10, how would you rate this dialysis facility overall?

012345678910

Reporting convention: report the % of respondents scoring 9–10 (top-box) for each global rating, alongside the mean — the same convention CMS uses for the official ICH-CAHPS global ratings.

EAnything Else You'd Like Us to Know?

If something below needs a direct response, please add your name or ask a staff member to route this to the quality officer — a comment describing a specific unresolved concern should also be logged on the Grievance / Complaint Log.

Office use only

Administered by Date received Domain scores entered into Scorecard?Yes No Concern routed to grievance log?Yes N/A
Educational data-collection aid. A house instrument modeled on ICH-CAHPS domains — not the validated, CMS-administered ICH-CAHPS survey. File alongside your official survey-cycle documentation. renalcarematters.com
Page 2 of 2 · renalcarematters.com/guides/dialysis-qapi-vs-cqi.html