MFS
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Morse Fall Scale |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical, Business & Finance |
MFS has two meanings. It stands for Morse Fall Scale (nursing) or Married filing separately (tax).
Meanings of MFS at a glance
| # | MFS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morse Fall Scale | Medical › Nursing |
| 2 | Married filing separately | Business & Finance › Tax |
1. Morse Fall Scale
Medical · Nursing Abbreviations
Fall-risk tool scoring six items: history of falling, secondary diagnosis, use of an ambulatory aid, IV or saline lock, gait, and awareness of one's own limitations. Totals range from 0 to 125, with higher scores meaning greater risk.
Example: MFS 65, high fall risk: bed alarm on, yellow socks, toileting q2h.
Developed by nurse researcher Janice Morse and published in 1989. Many hospitals treat 45 or more as high risk, but cutoffs should be set locally. Scores are recalculated on admission, after falls, after transfers and with changes in condition. The Hendrich II model is a common alternative.
2. Married filing separately
Business & Finance · Tax Abbreviations
Filing status in which each spouse reports only their own income and deductions. It usually produces more total tax and blocks several benefits, generally including the EITC, education credits and the student loan interest deduction, but it can make sense in specific situations.
Example: My lawyer advised MFS this year because of the pending divorce and my husband's tax debts.
Couples choose it to separate liability, to lower payments on income-driven student loan plans, or when one spouse has large medical expenses relative to their own income. If one spouse itemizes, the other must itemize too. Community property states such as California and Texas have special rules for dividing income.
Related abbreviations
More nursing abbreviations
- LBM – Last bowel movement
- LDA – Lines, drains and airways
- MAR – Medication administration record
- MDS – Minimum Data Set
- MIVF – Maintenance intravenous fluids
- NAD – No acute distress
- NANDA-I – NANDA International
- NAS – No added salt
See all 90 nursing abbreviations →
More tax abbreviations
- LTCG – Long-term capital gain
- MACRS – Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System
- MAGI – Modified adjusted gross income
- MFJ – Married filing jointly
- MTD – Making Tax Digital
- NI – National Insurance
- NIC – National Insurance contributions
- NIIT – Net investment income tax
See all 116 tax abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.