Confirmatory factor analysis of the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS) 1.0 Core Survey

The National Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS) Benchmarking Database was used to assess the factor structure and invariance of the CAHPS 1.0 Core Survey. Separate analyses were conducted with Latino and non-Latino Caucasian consumers drawn from commercial and Medicaid sectors (N = 15,092). Results demonstrated that the 23 CAHPS 1.0 report items measure consumer reports of experiences with 5 aspects of health plan performance: Access to Care, Timeliness of Care, Provider Communication, Health Plan Consumer Service, and Office Staff Helpfulness. Four items assessed global ratings of care. Analyses revealed an identical pattern of fixed and free factor loadings across all samples. Magnitude of factor loadings and correlations among factors was essentially equivalent within a common health service sector. A higher order factor analysis revealed that rating and reports of care showed marked convergence.