2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R33.9Retention of urine, unspecified
ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R30-R39›R33
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not Chronic
R33.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for retention of urine, unspecified. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 695 through 696, 791, 793. As a symptom code, it should not be used as a principal diagnosis once a related definitive diagnosis has been established. Coders also document this condition as cauda equina syndrome with painless urinary retention. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Genitourinary signs and symptoms.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Cauda equina syndrome with painless urinary retention
- Finding of measure of urinary bladder
- Finding of urinary bladder emptying
- Finding of urinary bladder volume
- Fowler syndrome
- Inefficient emptying of urinary bladder
- Large volume of residual urine after micturition
- Retention of urine
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to R33.9: its own notes plus those printed at R33 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.
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 R33.9, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes2 1
These codes carry an Excludes2 note naming R33.9: its condition is not part of those codes, and both may be reported when the patient has both.
- Block R10-R19 Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Incomplete See Also: condition;
bladder, emptying R33.9
retention or stasis R33.9
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Urine and Urination
Your kidneys make urine by filtering wastes and extra water from your blood. The waste is called urea. Your blood carries it to the kidneys. From the kidneys, urine travels down two thin tubes called ureters to the bladder. The bladder stores urine until you are ready to urinate.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert R33.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About R33.9Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for retention of urine, unspecified?
The ICD-10-CM code for retention of urine, unspecified is R33.9 (sometimes written as R339). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is R33.9 (Retention of urine) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report retention of urine, unspecified on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does R33.9 group to?
When retention of urine, unspecified is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 793, 791, 696, 695, with relative weights from 0.6677 to 4.2192 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can R33.9 be a principal diagnosis?
Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the retention of urine, unspecified is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.
Can R33.9 be reported with F45.8?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at R33, which applies to R33.9, lists "psychogenic retention of urine (F45.8)". 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).
