The patient classifications done by nurses for all adult patients (n=15,500) discharged from an urban teaching hospital in one year were retrieved and analyzed by discharge status. Classification results were summarized by physical functional, psychological-social, and dependence categories and were associated with discharge disposition; patients discharged home were less dependent than others discharged to nursing homes or those who died in the hospital. Diagnosis related group (DRG) payment weights were somewhat independent of the patient classification scores and were not associated with adverse outcomes.