Inpatient/Long-Term Care

Under the FY 2024 Inpatient/Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (IPPS/LTCH PPS) final rule, CMS changed the severity level designation of 3 ICD-10-CM Z codes that describe homelessness.

The following 3 codes shifted from non-complication or comorbidity (NonCC) to complication or comorbidity (CC):

• Z59.00 (Homelessness, unspecified)
• Z59.01 (Sheltered homelessness)
• Z59.02 (Unsheltered homelessness)

With these changes, CMS recognizes that those who experience homelessness often use more health care services. Generally, a higher severity level designation of a diagnosis code results in higher payment to reflect the increased hospital resource use.