Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Technical Information

The purpose of this web page is to provide technical updates and resources related to LTCH data collection, submission of quality data, information regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), and the LTCH Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS). Links to these resources can be found at the bottom of this web page. Users may also find contact information on this page for where to direct questions related to technical issues.

All LTCH users are required to use the assessment submission and reporting system known as the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) to submit patient assessments and view reports.

Please note that failure to obtain access to iQIES will impact your ability to submit assessment data needed for claims matching purposes.

In order to access iQIES, users must create an account and establish login credentials in the Healthcare Quality Information System (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile system (HARP).

For details on how to create an account in iQIES and for a description of the roles available to your organization, please refer to the QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) web page.

This page is updated periodically as updates to technical information, LCDS submission specifications, and reporting tools related to data submission become available.

Comments and Questions:

For questions about LCDS data submission, the iQIES Technical Support Office, or technical issues:

Phone: 1-800-339-9313, e-mail: iqies@cms.hhs.gov

Instructional videos on how to use iQIES can be found the iQIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) iQIES Training Videos web page.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to using the HCQIS HARP can be found on the HARP Help web page.

CDC’s NHSN Website

Information related to the procedures using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for data submission for Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI), Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI), the Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel, and the COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measures can be found on the NHSN website.

For NHSN questions: NHSN@cdc.gov.

Data Collection Software: The LASER

The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Assessment Submission Entry and Reporting (LASER) application is developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). LASER is a free, Java based application which provides an option for LTCH providers to collect and maintain LTCH Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) information. LASER displays the LCDS similar to the paper version of the forms. Hospitals are able to enter and subsequently export their data from the application for submission to the appropriate national data repository. Please consult the LASER Installation and User Guides for additional information related to LASER software. More information on the latest version of LASER can be found in the Related Links section of this web page.

Updates

May 11, 2023

Data Specifications V4.01.1 Errata for V4.00.1 FINAL

An updated errata (V4.01.1) is now available for the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Data Submission Specifications (V4.00.1 FINAL). One correction to a previous issue was identified.  Please note that the resolution of this issue will be implemented on October 1, 2023.

February 23, 2023

Data Specifications V4.01.0 Errata for V4.00.1 FINAL

An updated errata (V4.01.0) is now available for the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Data Submission Specifications (V4.00.1 FINAL). Four new issues have been identified. Please note that the resolutions of these issues (one new edit, two revised edits, one allowed value change for D0160, two item mappings to edit -3900) will be implemented on October 1, 2023.

August 2022

Data Specifications V4.00.2 Errata for V4.00.1 FINAL

An errata (V4.00.2) is now available for the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Data Submission Specifications (V4.00.1 FINAL). Fourteen issues have been identified. Please note that issues 4 through 10 are revisions related to the Section D Mood items D0150 and D0160, which match the revised instructions in the guidance manual. Also, please note that issue 11 changes how the dash [-] will be handled for the N0415 items.

The LTCH Data Submission Specifications (V4.00.1) are available in the Downloads section below. These FINAL specifications go into effect on October 1, 2022. They include several revisions from the draft specifications. Please check the Item Change Report and Edit Change Report to review the changes. Note the addition of the response option “Patient declines to respond” to three items in Section A, as well as one item in Section B and one item in Section D. 

LTCH Quality Reporting Program Archives