OASIS · Section M
M1033 — Risk for Hospitalization
Response options, how to score it, and the error that most often sends the record back. Cited to Ch. 3, Item M1033.
Response options
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | History of falls (2 or more falls — or any fall with an injury — in the past 12 months) |
| 2 | Unintentional weight loss of a total of 10 pounds or more in the last 12 months |
| 3 | Multiple hospitalizations (2 or more) in the past 6 months |
| 4 | Multiple emergency department visits (2 or more) in the past 6 months |
| 5 | Decline in mental, emotional, or behavioral status in the past 3 months |
| 6 | Reported or observed history of difficulty complying with any medical instructions (for example, medications, diet, exercise) in the past 3 months |
| 7 | Currently taking 5 or more medications |
| 8 | Currently reports exhaustion |
| 9 | Other risk(s) not listed in 1-8 |
| 10 | None of the above |
How to score it
Check every characteristic that applies, drawing on patient/caregiver interview, physical assessment, physician consultation, and the clinical record. If none apply, check only code 10 (None of the above) — no other response is checked alongside it. Dash is not a valid response for this item.
The common error
Counting an inpatient rehab (IRF), psychiatric hospital, or long-term care hospital (LTCH) stay toward “multiple hospitalizations” (response 3). CMS defines that response as acute-care hospitalizations only — 24+ hours in an inpatient acute bed for reasons other than diagnostic testing — and explicitly excludes IRF, psych, and LTCH stays from the count. Response 4 counts hospital ED visits only, not urgent care or walk-in clinic visits.
CMS Q&As on this item
- Q55.0.1 When a clinician is responding to M1033 - Risk for Hospitalization, how should exhaustion be defined for…
- Q55.2 For M1033 - Risk of Hospitalization, if my patient is discharged from the acute care hospital in the morning…
- Q55.3 For M1033 - Risk for Hospitalization, Response 7 - Currently taking 5 or more medications, does this include…
- Q55.4 For M1033 - Risk for Hospitalization does the time period under consideration or “look back” period include…
- Q55.5 If a patient is sent from one hospital Emergency Department (ED) to another does this count as one or two ED…
- Q55.100 M1033, J1800, J1900. For OASIS coding, if a patient has a seizure which causes them to fall and sustain a…
- Q4 What is the definition of an “injury” for M1033 - Risk of Hospitalization, response 1 History of falls (2 or…
- Q5 If, in the past 12 months, a patient had one fall and was then diagnosed with a fracture that was confirmed…
Source: OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual — Ch. 3, Item M1033. Verified 2026-04-26.
Nearby Section M items
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