§ 412.513 Patient classification system.

(a) Classification methodology. CMS classifies specific inpatient hospital discharges from long-term care hospitals by long-term care diagnosis-related groups (LTC-DRGs) to ensure that each hospital discharge is appropriately assigned based on essential data abstracted from the inpatient bill for that discharge.

(b) Assignment of discharges to LTC-DRGs. (1) The classification of a particular discharge is based, as appropriate, on the patient's age, sex, principal diagnosis (that is, the diagnosis established after study to be chiefly responsible for causing the patient's admission to the hospital), secondary diagnoses, procedures performed, and the patient's discharge status.