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Welcome to the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) Website

The Medicare HOS was the first patient-reported outcomes measure used in Medicare managed care. The goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) HOS program is to gather valid and reliable clinically meaningful data that have many uses, such as targeting quality improvement activities and resources; monitoring health plan performance and rewarding top-performing health plans; helping people with Medicare make informed health care choices; and advancing the science of functional health outcomes measurement. Managed care plans with Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts must participate.

Each year a random sample of people with Medicare is drawn and surveyed from each participating Medicare Advantage Organization (MAO) that has a minimum of 500 enrollees (i.e., a survey is administered to a different baseline cohort, or group, each year). Two years later, the baseline respondents are surveyed again (i.e., follow up measurement). Cohort 1 was surveyed in 1998 and was resurveyed in 2000. During the most recent HOS administration (2024 Round 27), Cohort 27 was surveyed and Cohort 25 was resurveyed using HOS 3.0. For data collection years 1998-2006, the standard MAO baseline sample size was one thousand. In 2007, the standard sample size was increased to twelve hundred. Since 2019, MAOs can request oversampling if the contract's enrollment permits a sample size larger than the standard sample of 1,200.

Information for People with Medicare and their Families

If you have questions or concerns about the HOS or HOS-Modified (HOS-M), you may contact CMS at 1-800-MEDICARE or the survey organization CMS is working with directly. More information about the survey, including contact information for CMS and each survey vendor, is available under the Information for People with Medicare and Their Families page.

What's New on the Medicare HOS

• 2023 HOS-M Data Available. The HOS-M data and Data Users Guide (DUG) were made available for plans to request following the CMS announcement to Health Plan Management System (HPMS) users on October 31, 2024. Participating Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations may obtain their data by contacting Medicare HOS Information and Technical Support at (hos@hsag.com). The DUG may also be downloaded from the HOS-Modified page.
  
  
• 2023 HOS-M Reports Available. These reports were made available to participating PACE organizations via HPMS on October 31, 2024. Plans may contact their CMS Quality Point of Contact to obtain access to the reports. A Sample PACE Report with actual national HOS-M data is available under the Sample Reports section. 
  
  
• 2023 Cohort 26 Baseline Reports Available. The reports were made available to participating MAOs via HPMS on October 31, 2024. MAOs may contact their CMS Quality Point of Contact to obtain access to the reports and the contract-level summary data. If assistance is required regarding HPMS access, MAOs may contact CMS at hpms_access@cms.hhs.gov. A Sample Baseline Report with actual national HOS data is available under the Sample Reports section.
  
  
• 2021-2023 Cohort 24 Analytic Public Use File (PUF) and DUG Available. The PUF may be downloaded from the Research Data Files section. The DUG may be downloaded from the Data Users Guides section.
  
  
• 2021-2023 Cohort 24 Performance Measurement Data Available. As announced in the HPMS memo dated August 1, 2024, the data and accompanying DUG are available to participating MAOs. MAOs may request their data by contacting Medicare HOS Information and Technical Support at hos@hsag.com. The data will be distributed via electronic secure file transfer. When data are available, the designated data recipient will receive an email from the hosdata@hsag.com mailbox containing instructions and a link to the Secure File Manager facility. The DUG may also be downloaded from the Data Users Guides section.
  
  
• 2021-2023 Cohort 24 Performance Measurement Reports Available. The HOS reports were made available to participating MAOs via HPMS on August 1, 2024. The contract-level summary data file distributed with each MAO report includes results for two HOS functional health measures and the Physical Functioning Activities of Daily Living (PFADL) measure. MAOs may ask their CMS Quality Point of Contact to download the HOS reports and the summary data or contact CMS at hpms_access@cms.hhs.gov for help with HPMS access. A Sample Performance Measurement Report with actual national HOS data is available under the Sample Reports section. The MAO Performance Measurement Contract List specifies the participating MAOs. The list is also available under the Survey Results section.
  
  
• 2023 Round 26 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) Effectiveness of Care Reports (HEDIS HOS Reports) Available. The reports were made available to participating MAOs via HPMS on August 1, 2024. The contract-level summary data for HEDIS HOS results are included with each MAO report. The HEDIS HOS Report includes results for the HEDIS HOS measures that are included in the Medicare Part C Star Ratings. MAOs may ask their CMS Quality Point of Contact to download the HOS reports and the summary data or contact CMS at hpms_access@cms.hhs.gov for help with HPMS access. A Sample HEDIS HOS Report with actual national HEDIS HOS data is available under the Sample Reports section.
  
  
• HOS Quality Assurance Guidelines and Technical Specifications (QAG). The HOS 2024 QAG details the requirements, protocols, and procedures for the HOS survey administration. The HOS QAG is available under the Survey Administration and Methodology sections.
  
  
• HOS-M QAG Addendum. The HOS-M 2024 QAG Addendum details the requirements, protocols, and procedures for the HOS-M survey administration for PACE organizations. The HOS-M QAG is available under the HOS-M page and the Methodology section.
  
  
• Fully Integrated Dual Eligible (FIDE) Special Needs Plan (SNP) QAG Addendum. The HOS/HOS-M FIDE SNP 2024 QAG Addendum details the requirements, HOS and HOS-M protocols, and procedures for the FIDE SNP survey administration. The FIDE SNP QAG is available under the HOS-M page and the Methodology section.
  
  
• HOS 2024 Survey Vendor Training Slides and HOS-M 2024 Vendor Training Slides. The HOS and HOS-M 2024 survey vendor training took place in May 2024. The presentation slides are posted under the Survey Administration section.
  
  

For additional information about the availability of auxiliary aids and services, please visit the CMS Accessibility & Nondiscrimination for Individuals with Disabilities Notice.

This page was last modified on 12/18/2024