The Cancer Care Survey is the first CAHPS survey designed for a specific illness. Created by AIR and the Mayo Clinic, the survey assesses the experiences of adults receiving cancer treatment in outpatient and inpatient settings, such as independent community oncology practices, cancer centers at community hospitals, and cancer centers at academic medical centers, including those designated as comprehensive cancer centers by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The survey’s three instruments, available in English and Spanish, correspond to the major cancer treatment modalities: radiation oncology, medical oncology, and cancer surgery. The instruments build on the CAHPS Clinician & Group Survey to capture features of cancer care that are important to patients and for which patients are the best source of information. The survey is used to improve the patient-centered focus of cancer centers, oncology practices, hospitals, and health systems. Results also can inform decisions made by clinicians, patients and their families, accrediting organizations, and payers and purchasers.

Based on analyses of the field test results and input from the CAHPS Consortium, the survey was finalized and approved by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for the CAHPS trademark in 2016. The survey was funded and developed in collaboration with the NCI, AHRQ, and the California Health Care Foundation.