K38.9 - Disease of appendix, unspecified

Version 2023
ICD-10:K38.9
Short Description:Disease of appendix, unspecified
Long Description:Disease of appendix, unspecified
Status: Valid for Submission
Version:ICD-10-CM 2023
Code Classification:
  • Diseases of the digestive system (K00–K93)
    • Diseases of appendix (K35-K38)
      • Other diseases of appendix (K38)

K38.9 is a billable ICD-10 code used to specify a medical diagnosis of disease of appendix, unspecified. The code is valid during the fiscal year 2023 from October 01, 2022 through September 30, 2023 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like K38.9 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.

Approximate Synonyms

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

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

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

Convert to ICD-9 Code

Source ICD-10 CodeTarget ICD-9 Code
K38.9543.9 - Diseases of appendix NEC
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


Colonic Diseases

Your colon, also known as the large intestine, is part of your digestive system. It's a long, hollow tube at the end of your digestive tract where your body makes and stores stool. Many disorders affect the colon's ability to work properly. Some of these include:

Treatment for colonic diseases varies greatly depending on the disease and its severity. Treatment may involve diet, medicines and in some cases, surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases


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Code History