Long-term care hospitals complete the LCDS for every patient at admission, at planned or unplanned discharge, and when a patient dies. The data support the LTCH Quality Reporting Program. Version 5.3 took effect October 1, 2026, replacing version 5.1, which had been in use since October 1, 2024.
LTCH clinicians who assess the patient, including nurses, therapists and physicians, complete the items. The patient does not complete any part.
Download the current version from the source each time; forms change without notice.
Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) Data Set
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) takes this form through its online services or your EMR, so there is no PDF to fill. Vero Scribe writes the visit note it draws on, so the details are ready when you complete it.
A form is listed only after its name and number were confirmed on the issuing agency’s or insurer’s own website, or in the form itself. Each entry links to that source. The list was last checked in October 2026. Forms and their requirements change without notice, so check the official page for the current version before you complete one.
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For all LTCH patients at admission and at discharge, whether planned or unplanned, and as an expired record when a patient dies. CMS lists the submission deadlines on its separate LTCH Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines page.
Version 5.3, effective October 1, 2026, with its manual published April 30, 2026. Version 5.1, implemented October 1, 2024, applied before that date. CMS also posts quarterly Q&As consolidating clarifications from September 2020 through June 2025.
CMS describes it as the instrument LTCHs use to collect patient assessment data for the LTCH Quality Reporting Program. The LCDS Manual guides hospitals on collecting, submitting and reporting the quality data.