2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K73.9Chronic hepatitis, unspecified
ICD-10-CM Codes›K00–K95›K70-K77›K73
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Risk Adjusts — HCC 65
- Chronic Condition
K73.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for chronic hepatitis, unspecified. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 441 through 443. Coders also document this condition as chronic hepatitis. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Noninfectious hepatitis.
For Medicare Advantage risk adjustment, K73.9 maps to CMS-HCC Category 65 (Chronic Hepatitis) under the V28 model, adding a risk factor of about 0.185 for a community, non-dual, aged beneficiary in payment year 2027.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Medicare Risk Adjustment (HCC)Billing
K73.9 maps to a payment category in the CMS-HCC model used to risk-adjust Medicare Advantage payments. Weights are the published community factors for payment year 2027.
Source: CMS Payment Year 2027 risk adjustment mappings and model software. Weights are relative factors, not dollar amounts; a beneficiary's total RAF also includes demographics and interactions. Browse all CMS-HCC categories.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Chronic hepatitis
- Growth retardation, mild developmental delay, chronic hepatitis syndrome
- Recurrent hepatitis
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to K73.9: its own notes plus those printed at K73, block K70-K77, and Chapter 11. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
- jaundice NOS (R17)
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Use Additional Code
Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name K73.9, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes1 3
These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming K73.9: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
- K75.2 Nonspecific reactive hepatitischronic hepatitis NEC (K73.-) names K73.-, which includes this code
- K75.3 Granulomatous hepatitis, not elsewhere classifiedchronic hepatitis NEC (K73.-) names K73.-, which includes this code
- K75.9 Inflammatory liver disease, unspecifiedchronic hepatitis NEC (K73.-) names K73.-, which includes this code
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Inflammation, inflamed, inflammatory (with exudation)
liver (capsule) See Also: Hepatitis;
chronic K73.9
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Hepatitis, Chronic
inflammation of the liver with ongoing hepatocellular injury for 6 months or more, characterized by necrosis of hepatocytes and inflammatory cell (leukocytes) infiltration. chronic hepatitis can be caused by viruses, medications, autoimmune diseases, and other unknown factors.
Patient EducationClinical
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is swelling that happens when tissues of the body are injured or infected. It can damage your liver. This swelling and damage can affect how well your liver functions.
The full article covers:
- What is hepatitis?
- What causes hepatitis?
- How is viral hepatitis spread?
- Who is at risk for hepatitis?
- What are the symptoms of hepatitis?
- What other problems can hepatitis cause?
- How is hepatitis diagnosed?
- What are the treatments for hepatitis?
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert K73.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About K73.9Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for chronic hepatitis, unspecified?
The ICD-10-CM code for chronic hepatitis, unspecified is K73.9 (sometimes written as K739). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is K73.9 (Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report chronic hepatitis, unspecified on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does K73.9 group to?
When chronic hepatitis, unspecified is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 442, 441, 443, with relative weights from 0.6890 to 1.8226 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can K73.9 be reported with a code from K70.1?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at K73, which applies to K73.9, lists "alcoholic hepatitis (chronic) (K70.1-)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
Does K73.9 need an additional code?
When the condition applies, yes. The Use Additional Code note at K73, which applies to K73.9, reads: code, if applicable, for ascites (R18.8). The additional code is reported after K73.9.
What HCC is K73.9?
K73.9 (chronic hepatitis, unspecified) maps to CMS-HCC Category 65 (Chronic Hepatitis), commonly written as HCC 65, in the CMS-HCC V28 model used for Medicare Advantage risk adjustment in payment year 2027. It mapped to HCC 29 under the retired V24 model. It also maps in the PACE (CMS-HCC V22), ESRD (V21), and ESRD (V24) models. It does not map to any RxHCC in the Part D prescription drug model.
Does K73.9 risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage payment?
Yes. When documented and reported on a Medicare Advantage encounter, K73.9 adds a risk adjustment factor of about 0.185 to the beneficiary's RAF score for a community, non-dual, aged enrollee (published V28 weights range from 0.101 to 0.378 depending on the payment segment). A more severe related category (HCC 62, HCC 63, and HCC 64) supersedes it when both are reported. See the full factor table on the HCC 65 category page.
