data-dictionary-case-mix-index

The Case Mix Index (CMI) is the average relative DRG weight of a hospital’s inpatient discharges, calculated by summing the Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) weight for each discharge and dividing the total by the number of discharges. The CMI reflects the diversity, clinical complexity, and resource needs of all the patients in the hospital. A higher CMI indicates a more complex and resource-intensive case load. Although the MS-DRG weights, provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), were designed for the Medicare population, they are applied here to all discharges regardless of payer. Note: It is not meaningful to add the CMI values together.