2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R13.10

Dysphagia, unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
R13.10
ICD-10 Code for:
Dysphagia, unspecified
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
    (R00–R99)
    • Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
      (R10-R19)
      • Aphagia and dysphagia
        (R13)

R13.10 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of dysphagia, unspecified. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like R13.10 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

According to ICD-10-CM guidelines this code should not to be used as a principal diagnosis code when a related definitive diagnosis has been established.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Abnormal deglutition
  • Boder syndrome
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Difficulty swallowing fluid
  • Difficulty swallowing food
  • Difficulty swallowing pills
  • Difficulty swallowing saliva
  • Difficulty swallowing soft foods
  • Difficulty swallowing solids
  • Difficulty swallowing thickened fluid
  • Does not initiate swallowing reflex
  • Does not swallow
  • Does not swallow fluid
  • Does not swallow food
  • Does not swallow saliva
  • Does not swallow soft foods
  • Does not swallow solids
  • Does not swallow thickened fluid
  • Dysphagia
  • Dysphagia due to and following non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Dysphagia due to and following non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage
  • Dysphagia due to and following non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Early-onset myopathy, areflexia, respiratory distress, dysphagia syndrome
  • Finding related to ability to initiate swallowing reflex
  • Finding related to ability to swallow saliva
  • Finding related to ability to swallow saliva
  • Finding related to ability to swallow soft foods
  • Finding related to ability to swallow soft foods
  • Finding related to ability to swallow solids
  • Finding related to ability to swallow solids
  • Finding related to ability to swallow thickened fluid
  • Finding related to ability to swallow thickened fluid
  • Presbyphagia
  • Regurgitates after swallowing
  • Regurgitation of gastric content
  • Swallowing pattern - finding
  • Swallowing symptoms
  • Unable to swallow
  • Unable to swallow tablet
  • Uncompensated swallowing impairment

Clinical Classification

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Inclusion Terms

Inclusion Terms
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • Difficulty in swallowing NOS

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Convert R13.10 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 787.20 - Dysphagia NOS
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Swallowing Disorders

If you have a swallowing disorder, you may have difficulty or pain when swallowing. Some people cannot swallow at all. Others may have trouble swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. This makes it hard to eat. Often, it can be difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish your body.

Anyone can have a swallowing disorder, but it is more common in older adults. It often happens because of other conditions, including:

  • Nervous system disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy
  • Problems with your esophagus, including GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
  • Stroke
  • Head or spinal cord injury
  • Cancer of the head, neck, or esophagus

Medicines can help some people, while others may need surgery. Swallowing treatment with a speech-language pathologist can help. You may find it helpful to change your diet or hold your head or neck in a certain way when you eat. In very serious cases, people may need feeding tubes.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.