What 'Families Would Recommend' Really Means

"Would recommend" is a CAHPS family-survey measure reporting the percentage of surveyed caregivers who said they would definitely recommend the hospice to friends and family. It is a useful summary of overall satisfaction — but it works best read alongside the more specific experience measures, not on its own.

Where the number comes from

After a patient dies, the primary caregiver may receive the CAHPS Hospice Survey. One question asks whether they would recommend the hospice, with answer options ranging from "definitely no" to "definitely yes." The published measure counts the share choosing the most favorable answer. So a score of 84% means 84% of responding families said they would definitely recommend that agency — a high bar by design. Medicare also shows national and state averages next to it, which is the comparison that gives the number meaning.

How to use it well

Treat "would recommend" as a headline, then read the chapters. A strong recommend score paired with strong communication and timely-help scores is reassuring. But if a hospice scores well on "would recommend" yet weaker on "getting timely help," and your loved one is likely to have nighttime crises, that specific weakness may matter more to you than the headline. Always compare the score against the state average rather than judging the raw percentage — an 85% can be above or below local norms depending on the area.

The other CAHPS measures worth reading next to it

The Hospice CAHPS survey publishes several specific measures, and each one answers a different practical question. Reading them together gives a far truer picture than the headline alone.

Measure	What it tells you
Communication with family	Whether the team kept the family informed and listened
Getting timely help	Whether help arrived quickly when it was needed, including after hours
Treating with respect	Whether the patient was treated with dignity and kindness
Emotional and spiritual support	Whether the family's emotional and spiritual needs were met
Help with symptoms (pain, breathing)	Whether symptom relief was adequate
Rating of this hospice (0–10)	An overall numeric rating, alongside "would recommend"

If crises and nighttime needs are likely, weight "getting timely help" heavily. If the family carries the most strain, look hard at emotional support and communication.

Why the wording matters

The published measure counts only the families who chose the strongest option — "definitely yes" — not those who said "probably yes." That is a deliberately demanding threshold, which is why even good hospices rarely score 100%. It also means small differences between agencies can reflect real differences in how strongly families felt, not just statistical noise. When you compare two hospices, a gap of several points on this measure, especially if it lines up with gaps on communication and timely help, is worth taking seriously rather than dismissing.

A realistic way to weigh it

• Start with the recommend score as a quick sense of overall sentiment.
• Check whether it's based on enough surveys. A high score from very few responses is less reliable than a slightly lower score from many.
• Cross-read the specific measures that match your situation — timely help if crises are likely, emotional support if the family needs it most.
• Compare to the state average before drawing any conclusion.

Done this way, "would recommend" becomes a useful entry point into the data rather than a verdict you accept at face value.

What the score can't capture

It also helps to know the measure's blind spots. Because surveys go only to families of patients who died in the agency's care, the score reflects experiences that already concluded — it may lag a recent change in staffing or leadership, for better or worse. It also can't speak to needs the surveyed families didn't have: an agency rated highly by families of cancer patients may be untested for a complex neurological case or a pediatric patient. So while a strong "would recommend" is encouraging, confirm during your own interview that the hospice can actually meet your loved one's specific situation today, not just that past families were satisfied.

Reading the score against survey volume

Two hospices can both show "90% would recommend" and mean very different things. If one collected that figure from 200 completed surveys and the other from 12, the first is far more dependable; a small sample swings wildly when even a few families answer differently. Care Compare typically indicates the number of completed surveys or flags when there are too few to report a reliable score. When the volume is low — common at small or newly certified agencies — the percentage is noisier and a missing score is not a warning sign by itself. For those agencies, lean harder on the clinical quality measures and on your own interview, and give individual reviews and word of mouth more weight than a thin survey percentage.

The misconception, corrected

Families often read "would recommend" as a single, decisive grade — or panic when a hospice shows no score at all. Both reactions miss the mark. The measure reflects overall sentiment, but it can mask uneven performance on the things that affect your situation most, so it should never be the only number you weigh. And a missing score usually means the agency simply hasn't collected enough completed surveys — common at small or newly certified hospices — rather than a problem being hidden. For those agencies, rely more on the clinical quality measures and your own interview.

Frequently asked questions

What does an 85% "would recommend" actually mean?

It means 85% of responding families chose the strongest option, "definitely yes." Because that is a demanding threshold, 85% may be above or below the local average depending on the state. Always compare against the state and national figures shown next to it.

Why does this hospice have no score?

Usually because it has not collected enough completed surveys to report reliably — common at small or newly certified agencies. A missing score is not evidence of a problem; weigh clinical measures and your own interview instead.

Is "would recommend" the most important number?

It is a useful headline, not a verdict. The specific measures — timely help, communication, symptom relief, emotional support — often matter more for your particular situation. Read them together.

How current is the data?

It reflects families of patients who already died in the agency's care, so it can lag recent changes in staffing or leadership. Confirm in your own interview that the hospice can meet your loved one's needs today.

Where do I find these scores?

On Medicare's Care Compare tool for hospice. See how to use Medicare Care Compare for hospice for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Practical next steps

• Find the score on Care Compare — see how to use Medicare Care Compare for hospice.
• Read it with the detailed measures, especially timely help and communication, using how to read CAHPS scores.
• Compare against the state average, not the raw number.
• Put it in context with how to compare hospices in your area, then compare hospices near you.

Bottom line: "would recommend" captures whether families were satisfied overall, measured against a high "definitely" standard. Use it as a starting point, compare it to local averages, and pair it with the specific measures that match your loved one's needs.