On January 1, 2025, the Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (OAS CAHPS) Survey becomes mandatory for Medicare-certified ASCs. OAS CAHPS scores are influenced by multiple factors, particularly the quality of care patients receive. 

However, providing high-quality care will not guarantee high survey scores for your ASC. Since the survey measures the patient's experience (i.e., their perception of the care received), poor survey results could stem from a disconnect between what patients experience and what the survey questions address. To achieve favorable scores, you must provide great care and focus on providing a great experience concerning the topics highlighted in the survey. Addressing these topics in a way that aligns with patient perceptions should improve how patients feel about the topics and lead to better scores.

One effective way to positively influence patient perceptions is through text messaging. Sending texts that highlight OAS CAHPS areas of focus can make these aspects more memorable to patients. When patients participate in the OAS CAHPS survey, they may better recall these key areas and have a positive perception of your ASC's efforts to deliver a great experience around them. Two-way conversational texts that allow patients to respond to a text with a message of their own can further engage patients around these issues and enhance their overall ASC experience.

Strengthening OAS CAHPS Performance 

Text messages can target specific OAS CAHPS survey question topics. Some examples of survey question topics and accompanying texts to positively influence patient perceptions of these topics are as follows:

• Smooth check-in: "We strive to deliver a smooth check-in process at Main Street Surgery Center! Please visit the registration window upon arrival, and our staff will assist you."

• Helpful staff: "Feel free to ask any member of our team for help during your visit to Main Street Surgery Center. We're here to ensure you have a great experience!"

• Ensuring comfort: "Our team at Main Street Surgery Center is committed to your comfort during your visit. Let us know if there's anything we can do to make you even more comfortable."

• Procedure explanation: "Your doctor and nurses will clearly explain your procedure at Main Street Surgery Center. If you have any questions, feel free to ask — they're happy to help!"

• Anesthesia explanation: "Before your procedure, your anesthesia provider will explain the anesthesia process in a way that should be easy for you to understand. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask — they're here to help."

• Discharge instructions: "You received written discharge instructions after your procedure. If you need another copy, access them at http://shortlink/surgeryinfo, reply to this message, or call 877-666-1132."

• Pain management: "We hope you're recovering well. Remember, you can take Tylenol and use an ice pack if needed. For severe pain or questions, reply here or call 877-666-1132."

• Infection information: "If you need information on signs of infection, access it at http://shortlink/surgeryinfo. For concerns, reply to this message or call 877-666-1132."

Ongoing reviews of OAS CAHPS scores can help your ASC know where it needs to better target efforts for improvement, which can be supported by carefully worded text messages.

Prioritizing OAS CAHPS Scores

Since OAS CAHPS scores will be publicly available on Medicare's Care Compare platform, negative scores can have far-reaching impacts. Low ratings can cause patients to seek care elsewhere if their physicians refer them to an ASC with a poor score. Cash-paying patients may choose to go to a higher-rated surgery center. Surgeons might also decide to take their procedures to facilities with better ratings, impacting the ASC's revenue.

Additionally, low scores can demoralize ASC staff, leading to reduced productivity, higher turnover, and burnout. It may become more challenging to attract new staff, anesthesia providers, and even commercial payers who could prefer better-performing surgery centers in the market. All these factors can further hurt patient and staff experiences, creating a negative feedback loop that may prove difficult to overcome.

To achieve strong OAS CAHPS scores and reap their benefits, ASCs must focus on delivering high-quality, personalized care. Equally important is effectively addressing the topics covered by the OAS CAHPS survey. Using two-way text messaging, ASCs can highlight and remind patients of the positive aspects of their care experience without adding a significant administrative burden. Additionally, texts can improve other critical areas, such as reducing cancellations, improving collections, and increasing staff engagement. With these efforts, ASCs can not only improve their OAS CAHPS scores but also enhance overall patient satisfaction, operational efficiency, and financial performance.

Brandon Daniell is co-founder and chief revenue officer of Dialog Health, a provider of a HIPAA-compliant, conversational two-way texting platform to organizations which they can leverage as a communication and engagement channel.