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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions are used to provide additional information and/or statutory guidance not found in State Medicaid Director Letters, State Health Official Letters, or CMCS Informational Bulletins. The different sets of FAQs as originally released can be accessed below.

Showing 1 to 10 of 74 results

Would an admission to an institutional facility following a discharge from another facility two days prior be considered a direct transfer?

No, these would be two distinct institutional stays; do not remove this admission from the Long Term Services and Supports Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measure denominator.

FAQ ID:91186

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How should I account for a member's death when calculating the Long Term Services and Supports Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay member's numerator and denominator?

If the member died in the institution or within one day of discharge from the institution, do not include their admission in the denominator. Members who died one day after discharge are excluded because of the high number of deaths the day after discharge observed while testing this measure; such members are unlikely to have been discharged alive. If the member died between day 2 and day 60 during the 60 days following discharge from the long-term institutional stay, do not include their discharge in the numerator.

FAQ ID:91191

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Must the Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure assessment take place in the home?

Yes, the assessment for the LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure is required to take place in the member’s home as a face-to-face discussion unless certain exceptions are met. These exceptions include circumstances in which:

  • The member was offered an in-home assessment and refused the in-home assessment (either refused to allow the care manager into the home or requested a telephone assessment instead of an in-home assessment).
  • The member is residing in an acute or post-acute care facility (hospital, skilled nursing facility, other post-acute care facility) during the assessment time period.
  • The state policy, regulation, or other state guidance excludes the member from a requirement for in-home assessment.

FAQ ID:89086

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What if a Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) member refuses an LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure assessment?

There must be documentation of the refusal, which would result in exclusion from the measure. The rate of exclusion due to a member refusing to participate should also be reported along with the measure performance rate.

FAQ ID:89101

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What if a Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) member could not be reached for an LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure assessment?

There must be documentation that at least three attempts were made to reach the member, and that the member could not be reached, which would result in exclusion from the measure. The rate of exclusion due to inability to reach a member should also be reported along with the measure performance rate.

FAQ ID:89106

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Care managers often do not document data elements in the assessment and care plan measures unless the member has "a problem." For example, they may not document that they assessed the member's vision or need for an assistive device if no problem was identified. How can states or plans address this issue?

Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) plan managers should provide training on proper documentation practices to care managers and other delegated staff. States and MLTSS plans could consider including data field entry options to remind care managers to record all results of the assessment, even if findings are negative, that is, the member does not have a problem or need assistance or services. For example, states and plans could include a question in the member’s record that requires the care manager to document both whether an assessment was performed and whether a problem was identified, along with another required field to include the details of the problem if there was a problem identified.

FAQ ID:89046

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Does the LTSS Reassessment/Care Plan Update after Inpatient Discharge measure include discharges for planned hospital admissions?

No; discharges for planned hospital admissions are excluded from the measure denominator. Identify planned discharges using the value sets (XLSX, 2.88 MB).

FAQ ID:89236

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Does the re-assessment and care plan update need to include the core elements specified in the LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update and LTSS Comprehensive Care Plan and Update measures and be done face-to-face?

Yes, both the re-assessment and the care plan must include each of the nine specified core elements. The re-assessment and care plan must be done face-to-face unless there is documentation that the member refused a face-to-face encounter.

FAQ ID:89241

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Why does the LTSS Reassessment/Care Plan Update after Inpatient Discharge measure exclude members who do not receive medical benefits through their Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) plan?

The denominator for the Reassessment/Care Plan Update after Inpatient Discharge measure is identified through administrative claims for inpatient discharges. Managed care plans that are not the primary payer for inpatient care, which is usually covered under a medical benefit, do not routinely have reliable access to administrative claims for inpatient stays to identify individuals who are eligible to be counted in the measure denominator. Therefore, the eligible population for this measure is restricted to individuals who receive both medical and LTSS benefits through the managed care plan providing MLTSS.

FAQ ID:89246

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What if my state wishes to require Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) plans that are not providing medical care to report the LTSS Reassessment/Care Plan Update after Inpatient Discharge measure?

If MLTSS plans can obtain timely, complete, and accurate inpatient claims data for their members, then a state may choose to deviate from the measure specifications to require MLTSS plans not providing medical benefits report this measure. For example, because the timely transfer of information between hospitals and MLTSS plans is key to ensuring smooth transfers between settings of care, MLTSS plans may have access to hospital discharge data through state or regional health information exchanges. In some cases, MLTSS plans are working closely with hospitals to share timely information about admissions and discharges. In addition, some states have the data and capacity to construct this measure for MLTSS plans using Medicare claims data for Medicare- Medicaid dual eligible beneficiaries (see more information about state access to Medicare claims data).

FAQ ID:89251

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