E54 — Ascorbic acid deficiency
Is E54 billable?
Yes — E54 is billable for FY2027. E54 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. E54 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
E54 at a glance
| Code | E54 |
|---|---|
| Description | Ascorbic acid deficiency |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does E54 group to?
E54 sits in MDC 10 and helps define the logic of 2 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 640Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes with MCCmedical
- 641Miscellaneous Disorders of Nutrition, Metabolism, Fluids and Electrolytes without MCCmedical
How is E54 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to E54. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Barlow's disease
- Cheadle's disease
- Scurvy, scorbutic
- Arthritis, arthritic › scorbutic (acute) (chronic) (nonpyogenic) (subacute)
- Deficiency, deficient › ascorbic acid
- Inflammation, inflamed, inflammatory › scorbutic, alveoli, teeth (with exudation)
- Purpura › scorbutic
- Scurvy, scorbutic › gum
- Scurvy, scorbutic › infantile
- Acid › deficiency › ascorbic
- Deficiency, deficient › vitaminNOS › C
- Inflammation, inflamed, inflammatory › alveoli, teeth › scorbutic (with exudation)
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with E54 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Inclusion terms
Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to E54.
- Deficiency of vitamin C
- Scurvy
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from Chapter 4
The conditions below can never be reported together with E54 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- transitory endocrine and metabolic disorders specific to newborn (P70-P74)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from E50-E64
The conditions below are not part of E54, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, E54 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- nutritional anemias (D50-D53)
How long has E54 existed?
E54 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with E54?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with E54 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.