K20.81 — Other esophagitis with bleeding
Is K20.81 billable?
Yes — K20.81 is billable for FY2027. K20.81 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. K20.81 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
K20.81 at a glance
| Code | K20.81 |
|---|---|
| Description | Other esophagitis with bleeding |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does K20.81 group to?
K20.81 sits in MDC 06 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.
- 368Major Esophageal Disorders with MCCmedical
- 369Major Esophageal Disorders with CCmedical
- 370Major Esophageal Disorders without CC/MCCmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, K20.81 is a major complication or comorbidity (MCC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is K20.81 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K20.81. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Esophagitis › specified NEC › with bleeding (acute) (alkaline) (chemical) (chronic) (infectional) (necrotic) (peptic) (postoperative) (without bleeding)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K20
The conditions below can never be reported together with K20.81 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 K20
Report an additional code alongside K20.81 to fully describe the condition. K20.81 is sequenced first.
- code to identify:
- alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K20.81, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20.81 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 K20-K31
The conditions below are not part of K20.81, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20.81 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- hiatus hernia (K44.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from K20
The conditions below are not part of K20.81, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20.81 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- eosinophilic gastritis or gastroenteritis (K52.81)
How long has K20.81 existed?
K20.81 first appears in FY2021 (FY2020 is not available, so it may have appeared then).
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.