CMS is pleased to announce the availability of the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LCDS) as a new Research Identifiable File (RIF).
The LCDS is the assessment instrument LTCH providers use to collect patient assessment data in accordance with the LTCH Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This assessment instrument is used for all patients receiving inpatient services in a facility certified as a hospital and designated as an LTCH under the Medicare program. Patient assessment data is collected on all patients at admission, discharge (planned or unplanned), and for patients who have expired. The fileset contains data for calendar years 2014-2023.
LCDS assessment records are submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from all Medicare certified LTCHs in accordance with the data submission requirements identified in the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set (LDCS) Manual.
For more information about the LCDS, please see the LCDS Manual on the CMS website.