2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R17Unspecified jaundice
ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R10-R19›R17
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- Not Chronic
R17 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified jaundice. 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. 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 21 closely related codes. As a symptom code, it should not be used as a principal diagnosis once a related definitive diagnosis has been established. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Abdominal pain and other digestive/abdomen signs and symptoms.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Acute cholestatic jaundice syndrome
- Bilirubin level - finding
- Bilirubin level above reference range
- Cholestatic jaundice caused by drug
- Cholestatic jaundice syndrome
- Chronic cholestatic jaundice syndrome
- Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia
- Direct bilirubin above reference range
- Finding of color of limb
- Hepatocellular jaundice
- Inherited renal tubule insufficiency with cholestatic jaundice
- Jaundice
- Jaundiced appearance of face
- Jaundiced appearance of limbs
- Maternal perinatal jaundice
- Obstructive hyperbilirubinemia
- Postoperative jaundice
- Total bilirubin above reference range
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to R17: its own notes plus those printed at block R10-R19 and Chapter 18. 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.
- congenital or infantile pylorospasm (Q40.0)
- gastrointestinal hemorrhage (K92.0-K92.2)
- intestinal obstruction (K56.-)
- newborn gastrointestinal hemorrhage (P54.0-P54.3)
- newborn intestinal obstruction (P76.-)
- pylorospasm (K31.3)
- signs and symptoms involving the urinary system (R30-R39)
- symptoms referable to female genital organs (N94.-)
- symptoms referable to male genital organs (N48-N50)
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
- Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
- The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
- (a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
- (b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
- (c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
- (d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
- (e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
- (f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name R17, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes1 1
These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming R17: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
- Block K70-K77 Diseases of liverjaundice NOS (R17)
Use Additional Code 1
These codes say to use an additional code from the note, and R17 is one of the codes named.
- D89.81 Graft-versus-host diseaseelevated bilirubin (R17)
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Icterus See Also: Jaundice;
conjunctiva R17
symptomatic R17
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Jaundice
a clinical manifestation of hyperbilirubinemia, characterized by the yellowish staining of the skin; mucous membrane; and sclera. clinical jaundice usually is a sign of liver dysfunction.
Patient EducationClinical
Jaundice
Jaundice causes your skin and the whites of your eyes to turn yellow. Too much bilirubin causes jaundice. Bilirubin is a yellow chemical in hemoglobin, the substance that carries oxygen in your red blood cells. As red blood cells break down, your body builds new cells to replace them. The old ones are processed by the liver.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert R17 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About R17Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for unspecified jaundice?
The ICD-10-CM code for unspecified jaundice is R17. It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is R17 (Unspecified jaundice) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report unspecified jaundice on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does R17 group to?
When unspecified jaundice 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.
Is R17 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists R17 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 21 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can R17 be a principal diagnosis?
Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the unspecified jaundice is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.
