Understanding nonresponse to the 2007 medicare CAHPS survey

Abstract

Purpose: The Medicare Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MCAHPS) survey, a primarily English-language mail survey with English and Spanish telephone follow-up, is the primary means of assessing the health care experiences of American seniors. We examine unit (whole survey) and item nonresponse for this survey to explore issues regarding surveying seniors about their health care.Design and Methods: We describe overall rates and analyze predictors of unit and item nonresponse for the 695,197 Medicare beneficiaries selected for the 2007 MCAHPS survey (335,249 unit respondents, 49% overall response rate).Results: Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics responded at adjusted response rates 7-17 percentage points lower than non-Hispanic Whites (p