2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R62.51Failure to thrive (child)

ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R50-R69›R62

ICD-10-CM R62.51
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

R62.51 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for failure to thrive (child). It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 640 through 641. The code is restricted by the Medicare Code Editor to pediatric patients (age 0 through 17). 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
R62.51
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Failure to thrive (child)
Short Description
Failure to thrive (child)
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
R62.5
Other and unspecified lack of expected normal physiological development in childhood

Code Classification

ChapterR00–R99Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
SectionR50-R69General symptoms and signs
CategoryR62Lack of expected normal physiological development in childhood and adults
This CodeR62.51Failure to thrive (child)

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for R62.51.

Pediatric diagnoses
The Medicare Code Editor detects inconsistencies in pediatric cases by checking a patient's age and any diagnosis on the patient's record. The pediatric code edits apply to patients age range is 0–17 years inclusive (e.g., Reye's syndrome, routine child health exam).

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Childhood failure to gain weight
  • Failure to gain weight
  • Failure to thrive
  • Failure to thrive in infant
  • Failure to thrive in infant with AIDS
  • Organic failure to thrive
  • Pediatric failure to thrive
  • Renal function impairment with growth failure
  • Severe feeding difficulties, failure to thrive, microcephaly due to ASXL3 deficiency syndrome
  • Slow weight gain
  • Weight increased

Tabular List NotesGuidance

Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.

Inclusion Terms

  • Failure to gain weight
  • Faltering growth

Type 1 Excludes

  • failure to thrive in child under 28 days old P92.6

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Failure, failed
      • gain weight (child over 28 days old)
    • Failure, failed
      • to thrive (child over 28 days old)
    • Faltering growth
    • Lack of
      • development (physiological)
        • failure to thrive (child over 28 days old)

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

  • Failure to Thrive

    a condition of substandard growth or diminished capacity to maintain normal function.

Patient EducationClinical

Growth Disorders

Does your child seem much shorter - or much taller - than other kids his or her age? It could be normal. Some children may be small for their age but still be developing normally. Some children are short or tall because their parents are.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert R62.51 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
783.41 Failure to thrive-child
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About R62.51Overview

Is R62.51 a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report failure to thrive (child) on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does R62.51 group to?

When failure to thrive (child) is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 640, 641, with relative weights from 0.7782 to 1.3356 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Can R62.51 be a principal diagnosis?

Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the failure to thrive (child) is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.

Who can R62.51 be reported for?

The Medicare Code Editor checks failure to thrive (child) against patient demographics: this code is intended for pediatric patients (age 0 through 17). Claims outside these limits are flagged as inconsistent.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of R62.51?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, failure to thrive (child) converts to ICD-9-CM 783.41 (failure to thrive-child). The mapping is a direct match.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.