2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code N03.8Chronic nephritic syndrome with other morphologic changes
ICD-10-CM Codes›N00–N99›N00-N08›N03
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- Chronic Condition
N03.8 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for chronic nephritic syndrome with other morphologic changes. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 698 through 700. 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. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 277 closely related codes. Coders also document this condition as chronic nephritic syndrome. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Nephritis; nephrosis; renal sclerosis.
N03.8 does not risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage under the CMS-HCC V28 model. It still risk-adjusts in the ESRD (V21) category 141 for payment year 2027.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Medicare Risk Adjustment (HCC)Billing
N03.8 does not risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage under the CMS-HCC V28 model, but it maps to payment categories in the other CMS models shown below.
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 nephritic syndrome
- Chronic nephritic syndrome due to membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type III
- Chronic proliferative glomerulonephritis
- Collagen IV nephropathy
- Nephritic syndrome due to membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type III
- Thin basement membrane disease
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to N03.8: its own notes plus those printed at N03, block N00-N08, and Chapter 14. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Includes
Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.
- chronic glomerular disease
- chronic glomerulonephritis
- chronic nephritis
Applicable To
Conditions this code is used for: synonyms of the title or, for "other specified" codes, the conditions assigned to it. The list is not exhaustive.
- Chronic nephritic syndrome with proliferative glomerulonephritis NOS
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
- hypertensive chronic kidney disease (I12.-)
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)
Code Also
A second code may be needed to fully describe the condition; the note gives no sequencing direction.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
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
Kidney Diseases
You have two kidneys, each about the size of your fist. They are near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Inside each kidney there are about a million tiny structures called nephrons. They filter your blood. They remove wastes and extra water, which become urine. The urine flows through tubes called ureters.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert N03.8 to ICD-9-CMHistory
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About N03.8Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for chronic nephritic syndrome with other morphologic changes?
The ICD-10-CM code for chronic nephritic syndrome with other morphologic changes is N03.8 (sometimes written as N038). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is N03.8 (Chronic nephritic syndrome) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report chronic nephritic syndrome with other morphologic changes on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does N03.8 group to?
When chronic nephritic syndrome with other morphologic changes is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 699, 698, 700, with relative weights from 0.6740 to 1.6400 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is N03.8 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists N03.8 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. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 277 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can N03.8 be reported with a code from N11?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at N03, which applies to N03.8, lists "chronic tubulo-interstitial nephritis (N11.-)". 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 N03.8 risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage payment?
Not for Medicare Advantage: N03.8 maps to no category in the CMS-HCC V28 model. It still risk-adjusts in the ESRD (V21) category 141 (Nephritis).
