Ability To Get An Appointment To See A Specialist As Soon As Needed

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
United States of America
Publishing Organisation
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): Medicare Fee-for-Service Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) survey
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Person-Centredness
Domain
Access / Waiting Times

Defining Attributes

Definition

In the last 6 months, how often did you get an appointment to see a specialist as soon as you needed? Never/Sometimes/Usually/Always.

Numerator
Denominator
Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Surveys
Data Collection Methods

The FFS CAHPS Survey is administered annually to a subset of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in FFS. It uses a mixed mode data collection protocol consisting of two survey mailings and telephone follow-up of non-respondents to the mailed questionnaire. The sample for the survey covers all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The questions on the survey are the same as those on the Medicare Advantage CAHPS survey and focus on topics such as communication, co-ordination of care, patient experiences getting needed health care, experiences with personal doctors and specialists, and customer service.

Frequency of Data Collection
Annually
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
365
Reporting Methods

Publicly reported to people with Medicare on the Plan Finder tool at www.medicare.gov.

Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025