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Managed Long Term Services & Supports FAQs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research1 and its partner, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, to develop measures for people receiving long term services and supports through managed care organizations and prepaid inpatient health plans. These measures provide information about assessment and care planning processes with Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) plan members, as well as Long Term Services and Supports use and rebalancing, that can be used by states, managed care plans, and other stakeholders for quality improvement purposes.

These frequently asked questions provide additional information and address common questions about these measures. View a printer-friendly version of these frequently asked questions.

1Measures developed as part of CMS contract: Quality Measure Development and Maintenance for CMS Programs Serving Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees and Medicaid-Only Enrollees, HHSM-500-2013-13011I, Task Order #HHSM- 500-T0004.

Showing 51 to 59 of 59 results
Are there exclusions for the Long Term Services and Supports Admission to an Institution from the Community measure's eligible population (denominator)?

No. However, when identifying the measure’s denominator from the eligible population, there are a few cases in which you should not include member months. For example, do not include months when the plan member was residing in an institutional facility for the entire month (that is, there were no days in the month spent residing in the community). If a member died, do not include the month during which the member died and any subsequent months of enrollment in the measure’s denominator.

FAQ ID:91116
Are there exclusions for the Long Term Services and Supports Admission to an Institution from the Community measure's numerator?

When calculating the measure’s numerator (number of admissions to an institution), do not include admissions that are direct transfers from another institution, admissions from the hospital that originated from an institution, or admissions for individuals who do not meet the continuous enrollment criteria. If the member’s admission resulted in death in the institution or death within one day of discharge from the institution, do not include the admission in the numerator.

FAQ ID:91121
Can the community residence include assisted living?

Yes, people admitted to an institution who were residing in the community prior to their admission may include those residing in assisted living, adult foster care, or another setting that is not defined as an institution.

FAQ ID:91131
Is the Long Term Services and Supports Admission to an Institution from the Community measure risk-adjusted?

Yes, this measure is risk-adjusted, using risk stratification by age. Results are reported separately for four age groups (18-64, 65-74, 75-84, 85 and older) for each of the length of stay classifications (short-term stay, medium-term stay, and long-term stay).

FAQ ID:91136
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
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
If there is no discharge, how should I calculate the length of 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?

If there is no discharge, calculate the length of stay as the date of the last day of the measurement year minus the institutional facility admission date.

FAQ ID:91166
Are the long term services and supports (LTSS) Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay and LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measures risk-adjusted?

Yes, the LTSS Minimizing Institutional Length of Stay and LTSS Successful Transition after Long- Term Institutional Stay measures are risk-adjusted based on the members’ dual eligibility status, age and gender, diagnoses from the institutional facility admission, and number of hospital stays and months of enrollment in the classification period. See the risk adjustment weights needed for these measures are in the risk adjustment tables (XLSX, 59.69 KB).

FAQ ID:91171
Should a member's admission be included in the Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measure denominator if it was a direct transfer from another institution?

No, do not include these admissions in the LTSS Successful Transition after Long-Term Institutional Stay measure denominator.

FAQ ID:91176
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