2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code L55.9

Clinical Information

• Sunburn

  an injury to the skin causing erythema, tenderness, and sometimes blistering and resulting from excessive exposure to the sun. the reaction is produced by the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.

• Sunburn

  an inflammatory reaction from ultraviolet radiation characterized by transient redness, tenderness and occasional blistering.

L55.9 is grouped with Diagnostic Related Groups - MS-DRG Mapping

Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) are a classification system used to group together diagnosis codes for the purpose of reimbursement and healthcare management. DRGs are used to standardize the way hospitals and other providers are paid for inpatient services. In this system patients are grouped together based on their principal diagnosis in areas referred to as Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC). Once a patient is assigned a particular diagnostic category, providers receive a predetermined payment rate for the services rendered. This reimbursement rate is often fixed and is meant to cover the cost of care for that patient. Reimbursement is also affected by the relative weight of a diagnostic related group based on the severity of a patient's illness and the associated cost of care during hospitalization.

Diagnostic related groups encourage healthcare providers to focus on quality and efficiency in patient care while managing costs effectively. The diagnosis code is present in the following groups for version MS-DRG V41.0 applicable from 10/01/2023 through 09/30/2024.

MS-DRG	MS-DRG Title	MCD	Relative Weight
606	MINOR SKIN DISORDERS WITH MCC	09	1.5858
607	MINOR SKIN DISORDERS WITHOUT MCC	09	0.8935

The relative weight of a diagnostic related group determines the reimbursement rate based on the severity of a patient's illness and the associated cost of care during hospitalization.

Convert L55.9 to ICD-9-CM

• ICD-9-CM Code: 692.71 - Sunburn
  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

Sun Exposure

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are an invisible form of radiation. They can pass through your skin and damage your skin cells. Sunburns are a sign of skin damage. Suntans aren't healthy, either. They appear after the sun's rays have already killed some cells and damaged others. UV rays can cause skin damage during any season or at any temperature. They can also cause eye problems, wrinkles, skin spots, and skin cancer.

To protect yourself :

• Stay out of the sun when it is strongest (between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
• Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher
• Wear protective clothing
• Wear wraparound sunglasses that provide 100% UV ray protection
• Avoid sunlamps and tanning beds

Check your skin regularly for changes in the size, shape, color, or feel of birthmarks, moles, and spots. Such changes are a sign of skin cancer.

Food and Drug Administration

[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.