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.
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.
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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