CAHPS® (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Patient Experience Survey

What is CAHPS®?

The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) survey is a standardized survey tool used in the healthcare industry to evaluate patient satisfaction. The purpose of the survey is to support and promote the assessment of patients’ experiences with access to dental services and providers.  

Why CAHPS®?

Delta Dental is the only carrier utilizing the survey nationwide to continuously enhance patient experiences with its outstanding network of dentists. This trusted anonymous survey tool is used in the healthcare industry to evaluate a patient’s experience throughout their dental care journey and includes questions related to care from dentists and staff, access to dental care, and dental plan information and services. 

It also offers a reliable means to gain insights into your patients’ complete dental care journey and pinpoint specific areas for improvement, while enabling you to consistently deliver an exceptional level of care. This is critical because studies show that positive patient experiences are associated with better health outcomes. 


Individual response information is only accessible to Delta Dental member companies and will not be shared externally except in anonymized, aggregated form.


How the Survey Works

The CAHPS® survey will be sent to adult patients who are covered by a Delta Dental plan by email or text message within 30 days of the patient seeing their general dentist. Patients will only receive one survey per calendar year, regardless of the number of times they visit the dentist in that year.

Survey Topics

Questions asked within the survey provide a view into the overall patient experience and satisfaction from every aspect of their oral health care interactions.

Topics Include:

  • Overall rating of dental plan
  • Overall rating of ease of finding a dentist
  • Overall rating of dental care
  • Dental plan information and services
  • Access to dental care
  • Care from dentists and staff

For more information, please contact Lynne Williams.