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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.

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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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If, after discharge from an inpatient facility, the member has not had a change in condition or needs, is a new comprehensive assessment and care plan required?

A reassessment with the member after they have been discharged from an inpatient facility is required to determine whether a member has had a change (or no change) in their LTSS needs. Even if the reassessment conducted post-discharge finds no change in a member’s LTSS needs, the second rate for this measure (Reassessment and Care Plan Update after Inpatient Discharge), Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) plan care managers should conduct a care plan update and document that they considered each of the nine core elements of the care plan, and determined that the plan of care for each element remains the same; documentation of “no changes” in the care plan as a whole does not meet the numerator criteria.

FAQ ID:89256

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Which measures assess institutional rebalancing and utilization measures?

The following measures assess institutional rebalancing and utilization:

  • LTSS Admission to an Institution from the Community
  • LTSS Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay
  • LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay

FAQ ID:91101

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Do I need to use value sets to calculate these institutional rebalancing and utilization measures? If so, where can I find the value sets?

Yes. Value sets are the complete set of procedure and codes used to identify a service or condition included in a measure. All three of the rebalancing measures—LTSS Admission to an Institution from the Community, LTSS Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay, and LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay—use the "Institutional Facility"value set (XLSX, 2.88 MB). See Table 2 in the "LTSS Value Sets to Codes" tab. Table 1 in the "LTSS Measures to Value Sets" tab shows each value set needed for each measure.

FAQ ID:91106

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Should unpaid or denied claims be included in calculating the institutional utilization and rebalancing measures?

No, include paid claims only (days denied for any reason should not be included) for all three of the rebalancing measures—LTSS Admission to an Institution from the Community, LTSS Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay, and LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay.

FAQ ID:91111

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Should I include discharges resulting in readmission to the institution in the Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay and LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measure numerator?

No, discharges that result in readmission to the institution within 60 days of discharge from the institution do not meet the LTSS Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay and LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measure numerator criteria.

FAQ ID:91146

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When counting the duration of a member's stay for the long term services and supports (LTSS) Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay and LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measure numerator calculation, should I include the day of discharge?

Do not count the day of discharge unless the member’s admission and discharge occurred on the same day. If the admission and discharge occurred on the same day, the number of days in the stay is equal to one.

FAQ ID:91156

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