OASIS · Section M
M1610 — Urinary Incontinence or Urinary Catheter Presence
Response options, how to score it, and the error that most often sends the record back. Cited to Ch. 3, Item M1610.
Response options
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | No incontinence or catheter (includes anuria or ostomy for urinary drainage) |
| 1 | Patient is incontinent |
| 2 | Patient requires a urinary catheter (specifically: external, indwelling, intermittent, or suprapubic) |
How to score it
This item identifies presence, not cause — etiology is out of scope. Code 1 if the patient is incontinent at any time, even occasionally ('only when I sneeze'), or if dependent on a timed-voiding program (a compensatory strategy, not a cure). Code 2 if the patient uses any type of catheter for urinary drainage for any reason, even if catheterization is only intermittent, or if a catheter is inserted during the comprehensive assessment itself; a patient who is both incontinent and catheterized is coded 2. Code 0 covers anuria or a urinary ostomy/diversion (for example an ileal conduit), with or without a stoma. Dash is not a valid response for this item.
The common error
Coding 1 (incontinent) merely because a urinary drainage appliance leaks — CMS's coding tip is explicit that appliance leakage is not incontinence; Code 0 remains correct. Also common: reporting a catheter used solely for bladder irrigation or antibiotic instillation as catheter presence, which is not reportable under this item.
CMS Q&As on this item
- Q117 Is the patient incontinent if she only has stress incontinence when coughing?
- Q119.1 How long would a patient need to be continent of urine in order to qualify as being continent?
- Q119.2.01 How would M1610 – Urinary Incontinence be answered on ROC for a patient that has a nephrostomy tube that is…
- Q119.2.1 Urinary Incontinence or Urinary Catheter Presence guidance indicates that if a catheter was inserted and…
- Q119.2.2 My patient has an order for a nurse to perform a straight catheterization to obtain a urine specimen for C&S…
- Q119.3 Do I mark response 1 - Patient is incontinent if my patient voluntarily urinates into a diaper at night only…
- Q13 The guidance for M1610 - Urinary Incontinence or Urinary Catheter Presence includes instructions to code 2 -…
- Q8 I have a follow-up question related to Question 13 of the April 2026 CMS Quarterly OASIS Q&As. The response…
Source: OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual — Ch. 3, Item M1610. Verified 2026-04-26.
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