Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights & Announcements
Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights & Announcements
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Updates
November 1, 2024
Reminder of Upcoming Data Submission Deadline
The submission deadline for the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is approaching. LTCH Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) assessment data and data submitted via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for April 1 – June 30 (Q2) of calendar year (CY) 2024 are due with this submission deadline.
All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on November 18, 2024.
It is recommended that the applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) reports and NHSN analysis reports are run prior to each quarterly reporting deadline to ensure that all required data were submitted. We encourage you to verify all facility information prior to submission, including CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.
View the list of measures required for this deadline on the LTCH Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
For submission information, visit:
Swingtech sends informational messages to LTCHs that are not meeting Annual Payment Update (APU) threshold on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadline. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CCN along with any requested email updates.
October 17, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: Updated Annual DTC and MSPB Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports for Post-Acute Care Providers
On October 15, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the two annual post-acute care (PAC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports: The Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report and the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report. These reports are available to providers in the Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) settings. The updated Fall 2024 Health Equity Confidential Reports are based on data from Calendar Year 2022-2023 for HH and from Fiscal Year 2022-2023 for IRF, LTCH, and SNF settings.
The Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports provide insight on DTC and MSPB measure outcome differences across social risk factors. These reports stratify these two PAC Quality Reporting Program (QRP) measure outcomes by Medicare-Medicaid dual-enrollment status (duals and non-duals), and by patient race/ethnicity (non-White and White patients). This data is meant to provide information to providers about their performance for certain populations who may have been historically disadvantaged. Providers can use the information from these reports to focus their internal quality improvement initiatives aimed at increasing opportunities for all individuals to achieve optimal health outcomes.
For information on how to access these reports via your Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) reports folders, please see the following PAC training pages:
- Home Health Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Long Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
October 15, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: Screen Positive for Health-Related Social Needs Indicator Confidential Feedback Report for HH, IRF, and LTCH with Educational Webinar and Fact Sheet
On October 15, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the new Screen Positive for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) Indicator Confidential Feedback Report to Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH).1 This report presents summary information for your patient population on four HRSN data elements: Health Literacy, Need for Interpreter Services, Social Isolation, and Transportation. Results for this initial report are calculated using data from October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024, and will be updated quarterly based on the most recent 12 months of available data. This report is provider-generated in the Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES).
To support providers in accessing and understanding this new report, CMS has released an educational webinar recording and the related webinar slides and transcript. We also released a fact sheet that provides an overview of the Screen Positive for HRSN Indicator Confidential Feedback Report. For information on how to generate your report and to access the webinar recording video and related slides, transcript, and fact sheet, please go to the following Post-Acute Care Quality Reporting Program Training & Education pages:
- Home Health Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
- Long Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Training & Education Webpage
1 CMS plans to release this report to Skilled Nursing Facility providers in October 2025, when a full Fiscal Year of data (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025) will become available for the first time.
September 25, 2024
Care Compare September Refresh of LTCH QRP Data – Now Available
The September 2024 refresh of the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the LTCH QRP Public Reporting website.
September 16, 2024
LTCH Provider Preview Reports – Now Available
The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the December 2024 refresh.
For more information, please visit the CMS LTCH QRP Public Reporting website.
September 4, 2024
UPDATED RESOURCE AVAILABLE: From Data Elements to Quality Measures Cross-Setting Web-Based Training
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated web-based training course that provides a high-level overview of how data elements are used to construct quality measures used across post-acute care settings.
This resource can be accessed through the LTCH QRP Training page.
September 3, 2024
CMS LCDS Quarterly Q&As, September 2024, Consolidated September 2020 to September 2024
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 2024. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from September 2020 to September 2024 so that all LTCH providers have the benefit of clarifications to existing guidance. Through inquiries to the LTCH Post-Acute Care (PAC) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance.
The Quarterly Q&A document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the LTCH CARE Data Set and LCDS Manual webpage.
September 3, 2024
LTCH QRP FAQs for FY 2025
An update to the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document is now available. This document has been updated to reflect the finalized policies for the LTCH QRP in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and includes other useful resources available to providers.
The FAQ document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the LTCH Quality Reporting FAQs webpage.
September 3, 2024
LTCH QRP Data Elements Used for Reporting Assessment-Based QMs and Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements Affecting FY 2027 APU Determination and Data Collection and Final Submission Deadlines for FY 2027 posted
The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Overview of Data Elements Used for Reporting Assessment-Based Quality Measures and Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements Affecting Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Annual Payment Update (APU) Determination table and the LTCH QRP Data Collection and Final Submission Deadlines for the FY 2027 LTCH QRP are now available.
The FY 2027 LTCH QRP APU Table can be accessed via the Downloads section of the LTCH QRP Measures Information webpage. The FY 2027 LTCH QRP Data Collection and Final Submission Deadlines can be accessed via the Downloads section of the LTCH QRP Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
August 30, 2024
LTCH QRP Quality Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual V6.0, Change Table, Risk Adjustment Appendix File, and Imputation Appendix File – Now Available
The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Quality Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Version 6.0 and accompanying documents are now available. These documents serve as an update to the specifications used to calculate quality measures that are included in the LTCH QRP effective October 1, 2024.
These files can be found in the Downloads section of the CMS LTCH QRP Quality Reporting Measures Information webpage.
August 26, 2024
UPDATED RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Section GG Web-Based Training Series
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated series of web-based training courses that provide an overview of the assessment and Section GG guidance found in the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) Manual Version 5.1 to promote accurate coding of the post-acute care (PAC) cross-setting data elements.
This resource can be accessed through the LTCH QRP Training page.
August 26, 2024
LCDS Version 5.2 Item Sets posted
The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (Care) Data Set (LCDS) Version 5.2 item sets are now available.
The LCDS 5.2 Item Sets can be accessed via the Downloads section of the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) and LCDS Manual webpage.
August 14, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: CMS National Summary Report, Executive Summary, and National Summary Results workbook for the 2023 Post-Acute Care Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports
In October 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to post-acute care (PAC) providers: the Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report and the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report.
To help expand access to aggregate stratified results, the National Summary Report provides insights on aggregate (e.g., national-level) differences in quality by dual-enrollment status and race/ethnicity in the PAC settings. This report can be used as a reference by PAC providers who received the 2023 Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports. In addition, this report can help other stakeholders understand aggregate variations in the stratified DTC and MSPB measure outcomes. The Executive Summary of the National Summary Report serves as a quick summary of the main findings from the National Summary Report. The National Summary Results workbook includes the full set of results that were included in the National Summary Report.
The National Summary Report, Executive Summary, and National Summary Results workbook can be found in the Downloads section of the PAC QRP Training webpage for HH, IRF, LTCH, and SNF.
August 1, 2024
Reminder of Upcoming Data Submission Deadline
The submission deadline for the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is approaching. LTCH Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) assessment data and data submitted via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for January 1 – March 31 (Q1) of calendar year (CY) 2024 are due with this submission deadline.
All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on August 15, 2024.
It is recommended that the applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) reports and NHSN analysis reports are run prior to each quarterly reporting deadline to ensure that all required data were submitted. We encourage you to verify all facility information prior to submission, including CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.
View the list of measures required for this deadline on the LTCH Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
For submission information, visit:
Swingtech sends informational messages to LTCHs that are not meeting Annual Payment Update (APU) threshold on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadline. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CCN along with any requested email updates.
August 1, 2024
IPPS/LTCH PPS for FY 2025; and Updates to the LTCH QRP (CMS-1808-F)
On August 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1808-F) that finalizes updates to the fiscal year (FY) 2028 Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program (LTCH QRP) including requiring LTCH’s to collect and submit through the LTCH Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) four new assessment items in the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) category: one item for Living Situation, two items for Food, and one item for Utilities. CMS is also modifying the current Transportation item and extending the three day assessment window to a four day assessment window. Finally, CMS is summarizing the feedback received on two Requests for Information (RFIs) on quality measure concepts under consideration for future LTCH QRP years and a star rating system for publicly reporting LTCH QRP measures on Care Compare.
The final rule went on display at the Federal Register and will be available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection
July 24, 2024
NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Patient Mood Interview (Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-2 to 9©) Video Tutorial
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a video tutorial for completing D0150, Patient Mood Interview (PHQ-2 to 9) and D0160, Total Severity Score. Within the video, the PHQ-2 to 9 assessment and related coding is demonstrated using excerpts from two patient interviews.
This resource can be accessed through the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.
July 19, 2024
NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: What You Need to Know: PAC QRP Key Program Updates – FY/CY 2025 Web-Based Training
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides an overview of key updates to the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
This resource can be accessed through the LTCH QRP Training page.
June 26, 2024
Care Compare June Refresh of LTCH QRP Data – Now Available
The June 2024 refresh of the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the LTCH QRP Public Reporting website.
June 18, 2024
CMS LCDS Quarterly Q&As, June 2024, Consolidated September 2020 to June 2024
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 June of 2024. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from September 2020 to June 2024 so that all LTCH providers have the benefit of clarifications to existing guidance. Through inquiries to the LTCH Post-Acute Care (PAC) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance.
The Quarterly Q&A document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the LTCH CARE Data Set and LCDS Manual webpage.
June 14, 2024
Revised LTCH QRP QM User’s Manual V5.0 Appendices – Now Available
Through our quality assurance processes, CMS identified a minor calculation issue in the Risk Adjustment Appendix File and Imputation Appendix File published with the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Quality Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Version 5.0, specifically affecting the imputation coefficients for admission GG items and the risk adjustment coefficients for the LTCH Discharge Function Score measure. The updated Risk Adjustment Appendix File and Imputation Appendix File now contain corrected coefficient values. This issue will not affect the LTCH Provider Preview Reports or the upcoming public reporting of the LTCH Discharge Function Score measure.
These files can be accessed in the Downloads section of the CMS LTCH QRP Quality Reporting Measures Information webpage.
June 14, 2024
LTCH Provider Preview Reports – Now Available
The Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the September 2024 refresh.
For more information, please visit the CMS LTCH QRP Public Reporting webpage.
May 17, 2024
Updated Quick Reference Guide Available
An updated Quick Reference Guide is now available in the Downloads section of the LTCH Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage. The Quick Reference Guide provides high-level information on the Long Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program, including frequently asked questions and helpful links.
It is recommended that the applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) reports and NHSN analysis reports are run prior to each quarterly reporting deadline to ensure that all required data were submitted. We encourage you to verify all facility information prior to submission, including CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.
View the list of measures required for this deadline on the LTCH Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
For submission information, visit:
Swingtech sends informational messages to LTCHs that are not meeting Annual Payment Update (APU) threshold on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadline. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CCN along with any requested email updates.
April 10, 2024
IPPS/LTCH PPS for FY 2025; and Updates to the LTCH QRP (CMS-1808-P)
On April 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (CMS-1808-P) that provides proposals for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program (LTCH QRP). This proposed rule includes four new assessment items in the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) category: (1) Living Situation, (2) Food, and (3) Utilities. CMS is also proposing to modify the Transportation item and modify one the Administrative item to extend the three day assessment window to a four day assessment window. Finally, CMS is seeking feedback with two Requests for Information (RFIs) on quality measure concepts under consideration for future LTCH QRP years and a star rating system for publicly reporting LTCH QRP measures on Care Compare.
The proposed rule went on display at the Federal Register and will be available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection
March 28, 2024
Care Compare March Refresh of LTCH QRP Data – Now Available
The March 2024 refresh of the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the LTCH QRP Public Reporting website.
March 20, 2024
CMS LCDS Quarterly Q&As, March 2024, Consolidated September 2020 to March 2024
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 March of 2024. The document contains the consolidated Q&As from September 2020 to March 2024 so that all LTCH providers have the benefit of the clarifications to existing guidance. Through inquiries to the LTCH Post-Acute Care (PAC) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk, CMS identifies the opportunity to clarify or refine guidance. While no new Q&As were added to the consolidated document for this release, CMS has archived some Q&As either because the guidance has been added to the LCDS 5.1 Manual, or the Q&As have been retired.
The Quarterly Q&A document can be accessed via the Downloads section of the LTCH CARE Data Set and LCDS Manual webpage.
Page Last Modified:
11/20/2024 09:27 AM