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CAHPS Cues: Ensuring Easy Access to Care, Tests, and Treatment

Published Date: 2025-05-21

This month, we’re focusing on a key aspect in patient satisfaction: how often it was easy for patients to get the care, tests, or treatment they needed. This question on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAPHS) survey measures how effectively providers remove barriers to essential care.

Improve Getting Needed Care

Together, we can ensure that your patients’ expectations are surpassed, and they receive care that goes above and beyond. This will not only improve health outcomes, but will also help build patient loyalty, improve employee satisfaction, reduce costly staff turnover, and lower malpractice risks.

Check out some tips that you can implement in your own practice to help improve this experience measure below:

Patient Experience Survey Question: How often was it easy to get the care, tests, or treatment you needed?
Pre-Visit	Upfront Education: Provide clear instructions for scheduling tests or treatments, including location details, preparation steps, and what to expect. Offer Flexible Options: Make it easy for patients to book care by offering multiple scheduling channels (phone, online, app). Verify Benefits: Proactively check insurance coverage and pre-authorization requirements to avoid delays.
During the Office Visit	Coordinate Care Efficiently: If additional tests or treatments are needed, initiate scheduling during the visit. Communicate Clearly: Ensure patients understand the purpose of tests or treatments and feel empowered to ask questions. Provide guidance: Give written instructions and any necessary referrals before the patient leaves. Provide the option to receive text or email instructions.
Post-Visit	Confirm Appointments: Reach out to ensure patients successfully scheduled their tests or treatments. Resolve Barriers: Act quickly to address any issues with insurance, transportation, or access. Solicit feedback: Use surveys or follow-up calls to understand and address obstacles patients may face.

When care, tests, or treatment are hard to access, patients may delay or forgo essential health care. By removing obstacles, we not only improve CAHPS scores, but also promote patient health and show respect for their time. We appreciate your partnership to improve access to essential health care.