2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R54Age-related physical debility

ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R50-R69›R54

ICD-10-CM R54
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

R54 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for age-related physical debility. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 884. The code is restricted by the Medicare Code Editor to adult patients (age 15 through 124). 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 Other general signs and symptoms.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
R54
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Age-related physical debility
Short Description
Age-related physical debility
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Chapter
R50-R69
General symptoms and signs

Code Classification

ChapterR00–R99Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
SectionR50-R69General symptoms and signs
CategoryR54Age-related physical debility
This CodeR54Age-related physical debility

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for R54.

Adult diagnoses
The Medicare Code Editor detects inconsistencies in adult cases by checking a patient's age and any diagnosis on the patient's record. The adult code edits apply to patients age range is 15–124 years inclusive (e.g., senile delirium, mature cataract).

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Aging
  • Asthenia
  • Attacks of weakness
  • Cachexia
  • Distribution of body fat loss - finding
  • Exhausted on least exertion
  • Exhaustion
  • Exhaustion - physiological
  • Extreme old age
  • Fatigability
  • Fatigue
  • Finding of general energy
  • Frail elderly
  • Frailty
  • General health deterioration
  • Lack of energy
  • Lethargy
  • Malaise
  • Malaise and fatigue
  • Old-age
  • Problem of aging
  • Quickly exhausted
  • Senile asthenia
  • Senile exhaustion

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to R54: its own notes plus those printed at Chapter 18. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

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.

  • Frailty
  • Old age
  • Senescence
  • Senile asthenia
  • Senile debility

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.

From Chapter 18 (R00-R99) Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified applies to 774 codes
  • abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
  • certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
  • signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
  • signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Notes

General instructions on how these codes are used.

From Chapter 18 (R00-R99) Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified applies to 774 codes
  • 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 R54, its category, or a range that includes it.

Excludes1 5

These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming R54: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.

  • R53.1 Weakness
    age-related weakness (R54)
  • R53.1 Weakness
    senile asthenia (R54)
  • R53.2 Functional quadriplegia
    frailty NOS (R54)
  • R53.8 Other malaise and fatigue
    exhaustion and fatigue due to senile debility (R54)
  • R53.81 Other malaise
    age-related physical debility (R54)

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.

CCSR SYM016
Other general signs and symptoms
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Frailty

    a state of increased vulnerability to stressors, following declines in function and reserves across multiple physiologic systems, characterized by muscle weakness; fatigue; slowed motor performance; low physical activity; and unintentional weight loss.

Convert R54 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
797 Senility w/o psychosis
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2026No changes
FY 2027CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Questions About R54Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for age-related physical debility?

The ICD-10-CM code for age-related physical debility is R54. It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Is R54 (Age-related physical debility) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report age-related physical debility on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

What MS-DRG does R54 group to?

When age-related physical debility is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 884 (organic Disturbances and Intellectual Disability), which carries a relative weight of 1.5998. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Can R54 be a principal diagnosis?

Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the age-related physical debility is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.

Who can R54 be reported for?

The Medicare Code Editor checks age-related physical debility against patient demographics: this code is intended for adult patients (age 15 through 124). Claims outside these limits are flagged as inconsistent.