Participation
Will practices participate in the PCF PEC survey in PY 2025?
No. As of March 2025, the CMS Innovation Center announced their decision to conclude the Primary Care First (PCF) model one year earlier than originally planned. As a result of this accelerated timeline, the PEC Survey for the 2025 performance year has been cancelled. PCF practices are no longer required to authorize a vendor or submit patient rosters.
For more information about the Center's decision, please see the fact sheet linked below:
CMS Innovation Center Announces Model Portfolio Changes to Better Protect Taxpayers and Help Americans Live Healthier Lives | CMS
How does a vendor apply to become a PCF PECS approved vendor? Will CMS be approving additional vendors in future years?
Vendor applications for the PCF PEC Survey are closed. As of March 2025, the CMS Innovation Center announced that the Center is terminating the PCF model one year earlier than originally planned. Therefore, the PCF PEC survey will not be fielded in 2025.
Who can vendors contact if they have questions about the PCF PECS?
Please contact the PCF PECS Team via e-mail at pcfpecs@rti.org or call 1-833-997-2715.
Survey Administration
Which official CAHPS survey needs to be fielded for Primary Care First?
The PCF PECS is based on a combination of questions from the CG-CAHPS v.3.1 and CAHPS Patient-Centered Medical Home Item Set v. 3.0. A copy of the survey is posted on the PCF PECS web portal for vendors and practices and can be found here.
When will data collection for the PCF PECS occur?
Data collection occurred in the fall of each performance year. As of March 2025, the CMS Innovation Center announced that the Center is terminating the PCF model one year earlier than originally planned. Therefore, the PCF PEC survey will not be fielded in 2025.
What are the data collection modes for the PCF PECS?
The PCF PECS is an annual survey conducted once per year. It is a single phase of data collection. Sampled patients receive up to 2 mail surveys and 6 telephone calls over the 12-week data collection period.
Where can I find the PY 2024 survey materials for the PCF PECS?
The PY 2024 survey materials for the PCF PECS are posted here.
Who will draw the sample?
CMS draws the sample.
What languages are allowed for the PCF PECS administration?
All practice sites and vendors were required to offer survey administration in English and Spanish. CMS provided all Spanish translations.
Are survey vendors allowed to conduct some analysis and reporting for their client?
The PCF PEC Survey team recommends that survey vendors who wish to provide a report for their client practices wait until after final data submission has been accepted before sending any of their client practices reports on their survey results. This allows the PCF PECS Team time to review the data and response rates and provide initial feedback to vendors. There are 8 guidelines found in the Quality Assurance Guidelines Section 8.4. These requirements apply to any kind of reporting a survey vendor provides to their practice clients, including client dashboards. (1) All reports provided to PCF PECS practice sites must include a disclaimer statement that the vendor results are not official CMS results and are for internal quality improvement purposes only. (2) Reports must provide a clear explanation and context for the numbers presented in the report. (3) Survey vendors may provide PCF practice sites with survey data or information from their practice as long as the survey vendor suppresses any display of data that includes cell sizes with fewer than 11 observations. (4) Survey vendors must have CMS approval to append data from the sample file to the survey data. (5) Survey vendors are not permitted to provide practices with patient identifying information. (6) Respondent names cannot be shared with practices, even if the respondent wishes to do so. (7) Added practice-specific questions may collect open ended comments or service information that could identify the patient. Reponses may have identifying data. You cannot share this with practices. (8) Survey vendors should contact the PCF PECS Team for additional guidance if they are not clear as to whether certain types of survey response data can be shared with a PCF practice site.