OASIS · Section M
M1340 — Does This Patient Have a Surgical Wound?
Response options, how to score it, and the error that most often sends the record back. Cited to Ch. 3, Item M1340.
OASIS-E2 v1.00.0 · ingested 2026-04-26
Response options
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | No |
| 1 | Yes, patient has at least one observable surgical wound |
| 2 | Surgical wound known but not observable due to non-removable dressing/device |
How to score it
Physical assessment and observation are preferred; patient/caregiver report and medical records may supplement, and the agency may use any skin assessment completed during the assessment timeframe. A primarily closed surgical site (sutures, staples, or a chemical bonding agent) generally still counts as a surgical wound until it has re-epithelialized for about 30 days without dehiscence or infection — after that it's a scar and excluded. Code 1 if at least one surgical wound is observable, even if another is also known-but-covered; code 2 only if the sole surgical wound is covered by a non-removable dressing/device. Coding 0 or 2 skips ahead to N0415. Dash is not a valid response for this item.
The common error
Counting an ostomy (other than a bowel-ostomy take-down procedure) or a peripherally inserted PICC line as a surgical wound — CMS explicitly excludes these, along with cataract, mucosal-membrane, and vaginal-approach gynecological procedures, none of which create a reportable surgical wound here.
CMS Q&As on this item
M134049
- Q102 M1340 - M1342. Is a gastrostomy that is being allowed to close on its own considered a surgical wound?
- Q102.1 Is a peritoneal dialysis catheter considered a surgical wound? Isn't the opening in the abdominal wall a type…
- Q103 If the patient had a port-a-cath, but the agency was not providing any services related to the cath and not…
- Q104 Are implanted infusion devices or venous access devices considered surgical wounds? Does it matter whether or…
- Q104.1 Is the Vantas implanted device considered a surgical wound?
- Q105.1 If a patient has a venous access device that no longer provides venous access, (e.g. no bruit, no thrill…
- Q105.1.1 Is an arteriovenous (AV) fistula considered as a current surgical wound? Does it matter if it is still…
- Q105.2 Does the presence of sutures equate to a surgical wound? For example, IV access that is sutured in place, a…
- Q105.3 Since an implanted venous access device is considered a surgical wound for M1340, when it is initially…
- Q105.4.1 If, when reading op reports I find that tissue and/or other structures (mesh, necrotic tissue etc.) were…
- Q105.4.1.1 My patient has a diagnosed diabetic foot ulcer. Recently she had an I&D of the foot with a bone biopsy…
- Q105.4.2 If a patient had an intra-abdominal abscess that was drained percutaneously and then a JP drain was inserted…
- Q105.5 I understand that a simple I&D of an abscess is not a surgical wound. Does it make a difference if a drain is…
- Q105.5.1 An I&D is not considered a surgery - but a drain inserted during this procedure makes the wound a surgical…
- Q105.6 A patient, who has a paracentesis, has a stab wound to access the abdominal fluid. Is this a surgical wound?
- Q105.8 Does a patient have a surgical wound if they have a traumatic laceration and it requires plastic surgery to…
- Q105.9 Is a PICC placed by a physician under fluoroscopy and sutured in place considered a surgical wound? It would…
- Q105.9.1 A patient had a “PICC” catheter inserted centrally into the internal jugular. Is this considered a central…
- Q105.11 Is a heart cath site (femoral) considered a surgical wound? If not, what if a stent is placed?
- Q105.11.1 I know existing guidance states that a femoral stick site created to perform cardiac catheterization is not a…
- Q105.12 If a drain was placed post-op and removed prior to admission to home health is the drain site considered a…
- Q105.13 A patient had a skin cancer lesion removed in a doctor's office with a few sutures to close the wound. Is…
- Q105.13.01 Our patient had skin cancer treated with electrodessication and curettage, creating a lesion. Is this…
- Q105.13.02 The Q&As address wounds caused by electrodessication and curettage as being surgical wounds. Would lesions…
- Q105.13.1 Is the removal of a callus considered to be a surgical wound?
- Q105.14 Are arthrocentesis sites considered surgical wounds?
- Q105.14.1 Is a wound from an abdominal laparoscopy surgery considered a surgical wound? No drain was placed after the…
- Q105.15 Is an implanted mechanical left ventricle device (LVAD) that has an air vent exiting through lower right…
- Q105.16 Is a chest tube site a surgical wound?
- Q105.16.1 A surgical incision was created to perform exploratory surgery. When closing the wound, the surgeon inserted…
- Q105.17 Would an enterocutaneous fistula that developed as a result of a surgery be documented as a surgical wound?
- Q105.18 Our patient has a complicated wound involving a mid-line abdominal incision and 6 buttons holding retention…
- Q105.19 Is a Q ball used for pain management following a joint replacement considered a surgical wound if the Q ball…
- Q105.20 Is a VP shunt for hydrocephalus a current surgical wound, no matter how old it is?
- Q105.21 Are toenail removals by a MD considered a surgical wound with or without sutures?
- Q105.22 Are insulin and morphine pumps captured in M1340, Surgical Wounds?
- Q105.23 Are burr holes on the head following an evacuation of a subdural hematoma which still have tightly adhered…
- Q106 Is a peritoneal dialysis catheter considered a surgical wound?
- Q106.1 M1340 Our patient has a “Mammosite”, a device implanted in her lumpectomy site. She receives radiation bead…
- Q106.2 Is the site resulting from a kyphoplasty procedure counted as a surgical wound when answering M1340 –…
- Q106.3 Is a Pleurx catheter considered a surgical wound? Is there a difference if the Pleurx catheter was in the…
- Q106.4 We are looking for some guidance on a diabetic ulcer that was covered with a skin graft and how to code it at…
- Q106.4.1 Are burn wounds that have been surgically grafted considered a surgical wound even if the graft fails?
- Q106.5 If a patient has a fasciotomy to treat compartment syndrome is the fasciotomy incision considered a surgical…
- Q106.6 Would a pacemaker or an implantable loop recording device be considered a surgical wound once the initial…
- Q108.1 M1340 & M1342. Guidance states that a surgical wound becomes "healed" or no longer reportable as a surgical…
- Q109 M1340 & M1342. Is a mediport "not observable" because it is under the skin?
- Q109.1 M1340 & M1342. How would M1340 – Surgical Wound and M1342 – Status of Most Problematic Surgical Wound be…
- Q112.6.12 M1340 & M1342. If a surgical wound dehisces at opposite ends, with an area of intact/healed skin between, is…
Source: OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual — Ch. 3, Item M1340. Verified 2026-04-26.
Nearby Section M items
- M1306Unhealed Pressure Ulcer/Injury at Stage 2 or Higher
- M1311Current Number of Unhealed Pressure Ulcers/Injuries at Each Stage
- M1322Current Number of Stage 1 Pressure Injuries
- M1324Stage of Most Problematic Unhealed Pressure Ulcer/Injury that is Stageable
- M1330Does This Patient Have a Stasis Ulcer?
- M1342Status of Most Problematic Surgical Wound that is Observable
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