<unk>  <unk>  is defined as the extent of organ system derangement or physiologic decompensation for a patient. It gives a medical classification into minor, moderate, major, and extreme. The<unk>  class is meant to provide a basis for evaluating hospital resource use or to establish patient care guidelines. Patients are assigned their<unk>  based on their specific diagnoses and procedures performed during their medical encounter, which is generally an inpatient hospital stay. Patients with higher<unk>  (e.g. major or extreme) are more likely to consume greater healthcare resources and stay longer in hospitals than patients with lower<unk>  in the same diagnosis-related group (DRG). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services considered the 3M APR-DRG and<unk>  system as a potential evolution to the DRG system in 2006, but received such negative feedback from the industry that in March 2007 decided to adopt another internally developed system evolved from the DRG.<unk>  is still commonly used throughout the United States to adjust for patient complexity, so that physicians and other groups can compare resource utilization, complication rates, and length of stay.
Severity of illness
Nutritional value
Performance status
Functional symptom
Impairment rating
Length of stay
Age of onset
Physiological functional capacity