2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code L49.9Exfoliation due to erythematous condition involving 90 or more percent of body surface
ICD-10-CM Codes›L00–L99›L49-L54›L49
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- Not a Principal Diagnosis
- Not Chronic
L49.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for exfoliation due to erythematous condition involving 90 or more percent of body surface. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 606 through 607. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) and moves an inpatient stay to a higher severity level within its MS-DRG family. The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Other specified inflammatory condition of skin.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for L49.9.
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to L49.9: its own notes plus those printed at L49, block L49-L54, and Chapter 12. 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.
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)
- lipomelanotic reticulosis (I89.8)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
- systemic connective tissue disorders (M30-M36)
- viral warts (B07.-)
Code First
The underlying condition named in the note is sequenced before this code.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name L49.9, its category, or a range that includes it.
Use Additional Code 2
These codes say to use an additional code from the note, and L49.9 is one of the codes named.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Eczema
Eczema is a term for several different types of skin swelling. Eczema is also called dermatitis. Most types cause dry, itchy skin and rashes on the face, inside the elbows and behind the knees, and on the hands and feet. Scratching the skin can cause it to turn red, and to swell and itch even more.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert L49.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About L49.9Overview
Is L49.9 a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report exfoliation due to erythematous condition involving 90 or more percent of body surface on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does L49.9 group to?
On inpatient claims, exfoliation due to erythematous condition involving 90 or more percent of body surface maps to MS-DRG 607, 606, with relative weights from 0.8772 to 1.5721 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is L49.9 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists L49.9 as a CC (complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it moves the inpatient stay to a higher-weighted DRG within its severity family.
Can L49.9 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because exfoliation due to erythematous condition involving 90 or more percent of body surface describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
Can L49.9 be reported with a code from A69.2?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at block L49-L54, which applies to L49.9, lists "Lyme disease (A69.2-)". 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).
