OASIS · Section J
J1900B — Number of Falls — Injury (Except Major)
Response options, how to score it, and the error that most often sends the record back. Cited to Ch. 3, Item J1900B.
Response options
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | None |
| 1 | One |
| 2 | Two or more |
| - | No information |
How to score it
Count falls since the most recent SOC/ROC resulting in a non-major injury — skin tears, abrasions, lacerations, superficial bruises, hematomas, sprains, or any fall-related injury that causes the patient to complain of pain. Code each fall once, at its highest injury level; two or more such falls caps at code 2.
The common error
Coding a pathological fracture (one caused by underlying disease, not the fall itself) as a major injury under J1900C. CMS instructs that pathological fractures are not to be considered a major injury resulting from a fall — a fall that produced a pathological fracture with no other major injury belongs here, not in J1900C.
CMS Q&As on this item
- Q6 In the OASIS-E1 data set, J1900 - Number of Falls since SOC/ROC always contained definitions for J1900A - No…
- Q7 Our agency has been reviewing the updated information and guidance related to the respecified Falls with…
- Q8 If a home health patient has a fall, but the physician specifies a pathological fracture diagnosis for the…
Source: OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual — Ch. 3, Item J1900B. Verified 2026-04-26.
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