Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) & LCDS Manual

Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) & LCDS Manual

This page includes the current versions of the LCDS, LCDS Manual and associated documents. This page will be updated when:

  • An update is made to either of these resources
  • A newer version becomes available
  • Important information regarding these tools needs to be communicated

The older versions of these documents will remain available for reference in the LTCH Quality Reporting Program Archives.

For additional information related to the LTCH Prospective Payment System (PPS) requirements, please refer to the LTCH PPS webpage.

The LCDS Section I, Active Diagnoses, to ICD-10 Mapping

A resource document that provides a mapping of Section I data elements in the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) to International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) codes, where applicable, is available. Definitions of primary diagnoses, comorbidities, and coexisting conditions in Section I remain unchanged. Providers should follow the coding instructions found in Chapter 3, Section I of the LCDS Manual, available in the Downloads section of this webpage. This information is intended to assist providers in identifying patients with these diagnoses. For those diagnosis categories that are not based on a hierarchical condition category (HCC), the list of diagnosis codes is not all-inclusive.

Questions regarding this file should be sent to the LTCH Quality Questions Help Desk at LTCHQualityQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.

The LCDS

The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) is the assessment instrument LTCH providers use to collect patient assessment data in accordance with the LTCH Quality Reporting Program (QRP). Patient assessment data is collected on all patients at admission, discharge (planned or unplanned), and for patients who die (expired). The LCDS Version 5.0 was implemented October 1, 2022 and is currently in use. For more information about data collection and submission, please refer to the LTCH Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage.

The LCDS Manual

The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) Manual provides guidance to LTCHs regarding quality data collection, submission, and reporting to comply with the requirements of the LTCH Quality Reporting Program (QRP). The LCDS Manual offers item-by-item coding instructions and coding examples for each item for LTCH staff to accurately complete the LCDS. The most recent version of the LCDS Manual (previously referenced as the LTCH QRP Manual) is available in the Downloads section below.

Updates


February 1, 2024

CMS LCDS Manual Version 5.1 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) Manual Version 5.1, effective October 1, 2024. A Change Table outlining the revisions to the CMS LCDS Manual Version 5.1 is also published.

The Manual and Change Table is available in the Downloads section of this webpage.

December 13, 2023

CMS LCDS Quarterly Q&As, December 2023, Consolidated September 2020 to December 2023

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) Quarterly Q&As, in December of 2023. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from September 2020 to December 2023 so that all LTCH providers have the benefit of the clarifications to existing guidance, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance.

The Quarterly Q&A document is available in the Downloads section of this webpage.

October 12, 2023

CMS LCDS Version 5.1

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Long-Term Care Hospital CARE Data Set (LCDS) Version 5.1. The LCDS Version 5.1 will be effective October 1, 2024.

The LCDS Version 5.1 item set can be accessed via the Downloads section of this webpage.

September 20, 2023

CMS LCDS Quarterly Q&As, September 2023, Consolidated September 2020 to September 2023

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) Quarterly Q&As, in September of 2023. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from September 2020 to September 2023 so that all LTCH providers have the benefit of the clarifications to existing guidance, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance.

The Quarterly Q&A document is available in the Downloads section of this webpage.

LTCH Quality Reporting Program Archives

Page Last Modified:
02/02/2024 01:21 PM