2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Q37.4

Cleft hard and soft palate with bilateral cleft lip

ICD-10-CM Code:
Q37.4
ICD-10 Code for:
Cleft hard and soft palate with bilateral cleft lip
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Chronic
Code Navigator:

Q37.4 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of cleft hard and soft palate with bilateral cleft lip. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The code is exempt from present on admission (POA) reporting for inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals.

Code Classification

  • Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities
    Q00-Q99
    • Cleft lip and cleft palate
      Q35-Q37
      • Cleft palate with cleft lip
        Q37

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.

  • Bilateral cleft lip and bilateral cleft of alveolar process of maxilla
  • Bilateral complete cleft palate with cleft lip
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with bilateral cleft lip and bilateral cleft of alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with cleft lip
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with cleft lip
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with left cleft lip
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with left cleft lip and left alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with right cleft lip
  • Cleft hard and soft palate with right cleft lip and cleft of right alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft hard palate with bilateral cleft lip and bilateral cleft of alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft hard palate with cleft lip, bilateral
  • Cleft hard palate with left cleft lip
  • Cleft hard palate with left cleft lip and cleft of left alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft hard palate with right cleft lip
  • Cleft hard palate with right cleft lip and cleft of right alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft hard palate, bilateral
  • Cleft of left hard palate
  • Cleft of right hard palate
  • Cleft of soft palate and bilateral cleft lip
  • Cleft palate and bilateral cleft lip
  • Cleft palate with bilateral cleft lip and bilateral cleft of alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft soft palate with bilateral cleft lip and bilateral cleft of alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft soft palate with left cleft lip
  • Cleft soft palate with left cleft lip and cleft of left alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft soft palate with right cleft lip
  • Cleft soft palate with right cleft lip and cleft of right alveolar process of maxilla
  • Cleft soft palate, bilateral
  • Cleft upper lip, upper jaw AND palate
  • Complete bilateral cleft palate
  • Complete cleft hard and soft palate
  • Complete cleft of hard palate
  • Complete cleft of left hard and soft palate
  • Complete cleft of right hard and soft palate
  • Complete cleft of soft palate

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.

Cleft lip or palate

CCSR Code: MAL006

Inpatient Default: Y - Yes, default inpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Outpatient Default: Y - Yes, default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Index of External Cause of Injuries

References found for this diagnosis code in the External Cause of Injuries Index:

    • Cleft(congenital)
      • lip (unilateral)
        • bilateral
          • with cleft palate
            • hard
              • with soft
    • Cleft(congenital)
      • lip (unilateral)
        • bilateral
          • with cleft palate
            • soft
              • with hard
    • Cleft(congenital)
      • palate
        • hard
          • with
            • soft
              • with cleft lip (unilateral)
                • bilateral
    • Cleft(congenital)
      • palate
        • soft
          • with
            • hard
              • with cleft lip (unilateral)
                • bilateral

Present on Admission (POA)

Q37.4 is exempt from POA reporting - The Present on Admission (POA) indicator is used for diagnosis codes included in claims involving inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals. POA indicators must be reported to CMS on each claim to facilitate the grouping of diagnoses codes into the proper Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG). CMS publishes a listing of specific diagnosis codes that are exempt from the POA reporting requirement. Review other POA exempt codes here.

CMS POA Indicator Options and Definitions

POA Indicator: Y

Reason: Diagnosis was present at time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? YES

POA Indicator: N

Reason: Diagnosis was not present at time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

POA Indicator: U

Reason: Documentation insufficient to determine if the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

POA Indicator: W

Reason: Clinically undetermined - unable to clinically determine whether the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? YES

POA Indicator: 1

Reason: Unreported/Not used - Exempt from POA reporting.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

Convert Q37.4 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.

Bilat clft palat/lip-com

ICD-9-CM: 749.23

Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means this ICD-10 code does not have an exact ICD-9 equivalent. The matched code is the closest available option, but it may not fully capture the original diagnosis or clinical intent.

Bilat clft palat/lip-inc

ICD-9-CM: 749.24

Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means this ICD-10 code does not have an exact ICD-9 equivalent. The matched code is the closest available option, but it may not fully capture the original diagnosis or clinical intent.

Patient Education


Cleft Lip and Palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby's lip or mouth do not form properly. They happen early during pregnancy. A baby can have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both.

A cleft lip happens if the tissue that makes up the lip does not join completely before birth. This causes an opening in the upper lip. The opening can be a small slit or a large opening that goes through the lip into the nose. It can be on one or both sides of the lip or, rarely, in the middle of the lip.

Children with a cleft lip also can have a cleft palate. The roof of the mouth is called the "palate." With a cleft palate, the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not join correctly. Babies may have both the front and back parts of the palate open, or they may have only one part open.

Children with a cleft lip or a cleft palate often have problems with feeding and talking. They also might have ear infections, hearing loss, and problems with their teeth.

Often, surgery can close the lip and palate. Cleft lip surgery is usually done before age 12 months, and cleft palate surgery is done before 18 months. Many children have other complications. They may need additional surgeries, dental and orthodontic care, and speech therapy as they get older. With treatment, most children with clefts do well and lead a healthy life.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2026 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2025 through 9/30/2026
  • FY 2025 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2024 through 9/30/2025
  • 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.

Footnotes

[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:

  • The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
  • The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.