G96.09 — Other spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak

BillableCC

Is G96.09 billable?

Yes — G96.09 is billable for FY2027. G96.09 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. G96.09 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

G96.09 at a glance

Code	G96.09
Description	Other spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak
Billable	Yes
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does G96.09 group to?

G96.09 sits in MDC 01 and helps define the logic of 3 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.

091Other Disorders of Nervous System with MCCmedical
092Other Disorders of Nervous System with CCmedical
093Other Disorders of Nervous System without CC/MCCmedical

As a secondary diagnosis, G96.09 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.

How is G96.09 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to G96.09. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

Leak, leakage › cerebrospinal fluid › spinal › postoperative
Leak, leakage › cerebrospinal fluid › spinal › post-traumatic
Leak, leakage › cerebrospinal fluid › spinal › specified NEC

Code also

Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether G96.09 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.

if applicable:
head injury (S00 - S09)

Inclusion terms

Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to G96.09.

Other spinal CSF leak
Postoperative spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak
Traumatic spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from G96.0

The conditions below can never be reported together with G96.09 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

cerebrospinal fluid leak from spinal puncture (G97.0)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 6

The conditions below are not part of G96.09, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, G96.09 and the excluded code may both be reported.

certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
neoplasms (C00-D49)
symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)

Code also — inherited from G96.0