Patient discharge status · UB-04 FL 17
Patient status 30: still a patient.
Patient discharge status code 30 means the patient is still in the facility at the end of the billing period. CMS's manual prints it as "Still Patient" and uses it on interim bills, on bills during a leave of absence, and on certain inpatient psychiatric facility claims.
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What CMS says about the field
Chapter 25, section 75.2 says FL 17 shows the patient's discharge status as of the "Through" date of the billing period (FL 6). A patient who has not been discharged by that date is, by definition, still a patient, which is the situation code 30 describes.
Where chapter 3 requires code 30
| Situation | What the manual says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Non-PPS acute care hospital, stay spans a month | The original bill is adjusted to change the patient status code to 30 (still a patient). Later monthly bills are interim bills, types of bill 112, 113 or 114. | 40.2.5 |
| Leave of absence | A patient on leave from a non-PPS hospital is shown as "Still Patient" (patient status code 30) on an interim bill. An adjusted bill is needed if the patient has not returned within 60 days, including the day leave began, or is admitted elsewhere during the leave. | 40.2.6 |
| Inpatient psychiatric facility below a skilled level of care | Submit a 112 type of bill with Occurrence Code 22 (date active care ended) and patient status code 30, then continue interim 117 bills with status 30 and the right occurrence span codes. | 190.10.2 |
| Inpatient psychiatric facility after benefits exhaust | No-pay bills (type of bill 110) with patient status 30 every 60 days until the patient is physically discharged or dies. The last bill carries a discharge patient status code. | 190.10.2 |
Section 140.3.1 also notes an exception in the inpatient rehabilitation edits: the check of the incoming claim's admission date against the history discharge date is skipped when the patient status code is 30.
What to check
- Use 30 only when the patient is still in the facility on the "Through" date. A discharge or death needs the matching discharge code.
- Make sure the type of bill is an interim type, not a final discharge bill, where the manual says so.
- On the final bill, replace 30 with the actual discharge status.
Worked example (hypothetical)
An inpatient psychiatric facility patient exhausts Medicare benefits but remains in the hospital. The facility submits a no-pay type-of-bill 110 claim with patient status 30 every 60 days, and the last bill, filed at physical discharge, carries the discharge code.
What this page does not do
The NUBC owns and licenses the full patient discharge status code set. CMS says in chapter 25 that the codes are available from Medicare contractors and from the NUBC Official UB-04 Data Specifications Manual, so this page uses only the wording CMS itself prints in its manuals and does not reproduce the NUBC table.
Other codes in this set
Patient status 20, Patient status 63.
Sources
- CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 25 (Completing and Processing the CMS-1450 Data Set), section 75.2, FL 17 — says the patient status codes are available from Medicare contractors and from the NUBC (retrieved 2026-11-02)
- CMS: Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 3 (Inpatient Hospital Billing), Rev. 14000, issued 10-08-26 — read 2026-11-02
The CMS manual passages above were read on November 2, 2026. Payers and CMS revise code lists, contracts and policies, so confirm anything that affects a claim or a payment with your Medicare Administrative Contractor.
Frequently asked questions
What does status 30 mean?
CMS prints it as "Still Patient": the patient had not been discharged as of the "Through" date of the billing period.
Is 30 used on a final bill?
No. The manual uses 30 on interim and no-pay bills. The last bill for the stay carries a discharge patient status code.
Is this the full list of patient status codes?
No. The NUBC licenses the full code set. CMS says the codes are available from Medicare contractors and from the NUBC.
Not legal, billing or medical advice
This page explains published CMS code definitions and runs a lookup in your browser. It cannot see your claim, your contract or any payer's policy. Confirm with your Medicare Administrative Contractor before you resubmit, appeal or bill a patient.