K13.21 — Leukoplakia of oral mucosa, including tongue
Is K13.21 billable?
Yes — K13.21 is billable for FY2027. K13.21 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. K13.21 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
K13.21 at a glance
| Code | K13.21 |
|---|---|
| Description | Leukoplakia of oral mucosa, including tongue |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does K13.21 group to?
K13.21 sits in MDC Pre 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.
- 011Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with MCCsurgical
- 012Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with CCsurgical
- 013Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy without CC/MCCsurgical
How is K13.21 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K13.21. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Leukokeratosis › mouth
- Leukokeratosis › oral mucosa
- Leukokeratosis › tongue
- Leukoplakia › buccal
- Leukoplakia › gingiva
- Leukoplakia › lip
- Leukoplakia › mouth
- Leukoplakia › oral epithelium, including tongue
- Leukoplakia › palate
- Leukoplakia › tongue
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with K13.21 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 K13.21.
- Leukokeratosis of oral mucosa
- Leukoplakia of gingiva, lips, tongue
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K13.2
The conditions below can never be reported together with K13.21 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Use additional code — inherited from K13
Report an additional code alongside K13.21 to fully describe the condition. K13.21 is sequenced first.
- code to identify:
- alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
- exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
- exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)
- history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
- occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
- tobacco dependence (F17.-)
- tobacco use (Z72.0)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K13.21, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K13.21 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)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from K13
The conditions below are not part of K13.21, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K13.21 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has K13.21 existed?
K13.21 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.