2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code L20.9

Approximate Synonyms

The following list of clinical terms are approximate synonyms, alternative descriptions, or common phrases that might be used by patients, healthcare providers, or medical coders to describe the same condition. These synonyms and related diagnosis terms are often used when searching for an ICD-10 code, especially when the exact medical terminology is unclear. Whether you're looking for lay terms, similar diagnosis names, or common language alternatives, this list can help guide you to the correct ICD-10 classification.

Clinical Classification

Clinical Classifications group individual ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes into broader, clinically meaningful categories. These categories help simplify complex data by organizing related conditions under common clinical themes.

They are especially useful for data analysis, reporting, and clinical decision-making. Even when diagnosis codes differ, similar conditions can be grouped together based on their clinical relevance. Each category is assigned a unique CCSR code that represents a specific clinical concept, often tied to a body system or medical specialty.

MS-DRG Mapping for ICD-10-CM Code L20.9

Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) are used to classify hospital cases for billing and healthcare management. They help standardize how hospitals and other providers are reimbursed for inpatient care. Patients are grouped based on their principal diagnosis into broader categories called Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs).

Once assigned to a DRG, the hospital receives a set payment for the patient’s care, regardless of the actual services provided. This fixed rate is intended to cover the typical cost of treating patients within that group. The payment amount depends on the DRG's relative weight, which reflects the expected complexity and cost of care based on the severity of the patient’s condition.

Diagnostic related groups encourage healthcare providers to focus on quality and efficiency in patient care while managing costs effectively. The diagnosis code is present in the following groups for version MS-DRG V42.0 applicable from 10/01/2024 through 09/30/2025.

Convert L20.9 to ICD-9-CM

Below are the ICD-9 codes that most closely match this ICD-10 code, based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). This ICD-10 to ICD-9 crosswalk tool is helpful for coders who need to reference legacy diagnosis codes for audits, historical claims, or approximate code comparisons.

Patient Education

Eczema

Eczema is a term for several different types of skin swelling. Eczema is also called dermatitis. Most types cause dry, itchy skin and rashes on the face, inside the elbows and behind the knees, and on the hands and feet. Scratching the skin can cause it to turn red, and to swell and itch even more.

Eczema is not contagious. The cause of eczema is unknown. It is likely caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Eczema may get better or worse over time, but it is often a long-lasting disease. People who have it may also develop hay fever and asthma.

The most common type of eczema is atopic dermatitis. It is most common in babies and children, but adults can have it too. As children who have atopic dermatitis grow older, this problem may get better or go away. But sometimes the skin may stay dry and get irritated easily.

Treatments may include medicines, skin creams, light therapy, and good skin care. You can prevent some types of eczema by avoiding:

• Things that irritate your skin, such as certain soaps, fabrics, and lotions
• Stress
• Things you are allergic to, such as food, pollen, and animals

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

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Atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (also known as atopic eczema) is a disorder characterized by inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). The condition usually begins in early infancy, and it often disappears before adolescence. However, in some affected individuals the condition continues into adulthood; in others, it does not begin until adulthood. Hallmarks of atopic dermatitis include dry, itchy skin and red rashes that come and go. The rashes can occur on any part of the body, although the pattern tends to be different at different ages. In affected infants, the rashes commonly occur on the face, scalp, hands, and feet. In children, the rashes are usually found in the bend of the elbows and knees and on the front of the neck. In adolescents and adults, the rashes typically occur on the wrists, ankles, and eyelids in addition to the bend of the elbows and knees. Scratching the itchy skin can lead to oozing and crusting of the rashes and thickening and hardening (lichenification) of the skin. The itchiness can be so severe as to disturb sleep and impair a person's quality of life.

The word "atopic" indicates an association with allergies. While atopic dermatitis is not always due to an allergic reaction, it is commonly associated with other allergic disorders: up to 60 percent of people with atopic dermatitis develop asthma or hay fever (allergic rhinitis) later in life, and up to 30 percent have food allergies. Atopic dermatitis is often the beginning of a series of allergic disorders, referred to as the "atopic march." Development of these disorders typically follows a pattern, beginning with atopic dermatitis, followed by food allergies, then hay fever, and finally asthma. However, not all individuals with atopic dermatitis will progress through the atopic march, and not all individuals with one allergic disease will develop others.

Individuals with atopic dermatitis have an increased risk of developing other conditions related to inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and hair loss caused by a malfunctioning immune reaction (alopecia areata). They also have an increased risk of having a behavioral or psychiatric disorder, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression.

In a particular subset of individuals with atopic dermatitis, the immune system is unable to protect the body from foreign invaders such as bacteria and fungi (which is known as immunodeficiency). These individuals are prone to recurrent infections. Most also have other allergic disorders, such as asthma, hay fever, and food allergies.

Atopic dermatitis can also be a feature of separate disorders that have a number of signs and symptoms, which can include skin abnormalities and immunodeficiency. Some such disorders are Netherton syndrome; immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome; and severe dermatitis, multiple allergies, metabolic wasting (SAM) syndrome.

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Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis, often called eczema, is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that causes the skin to become inflamed and irritated, making it extremely itchy.
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Code History

• FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
• FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
• FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
• FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
• FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
• FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
• FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
• FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
• FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.