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 CAH PS 1.0 Core Survey. Separate analyses were conducted with Latino and non-La tino Caucasian consumers drawn from commercial and Medicaid sectors (N = 15 ,092). Results demonstrated that the 23 CAHPS 1.0 report items measure cons umer reports of experiences with 5 aspects of health plan performance: Acce ss to Care, Timeliness of Care, Provider Communication, Health Plan Consume r Service, and Office Staff Helpfulness. Four items assessed global ratings of care, Analyses revealed an identical pattern of fixed and free factor l oadings across all samples, Magnitude of factor loadings and correlations a mong factors, was essentially equivalent within a common health service sec tor. A higher order factor analysis revealed that rating and reports of car e showed marked convergence.