K23 — Disorders of esophagus in diseases classified elsewhere
Is K23 billable?
Yes — K23 is billable for FY2027. K23 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. K23 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
K23 at a glance
| Code | K23 |
|---|---|
| Description | Disorders of esophagus in diseases classified elsewhere |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
What Medicare edits apply to K23?
The Medicare Code Editor screens inpatient claims before they are grouped. These edits name K23 directly.
This code describes a manifestation of an underlying disease. The underlying condition must be sequenced before it, so it can never be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
Which MS-DRGs does K23 group to?
K23 sits in MDC 06 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.
- 391Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive Disorders with MCCmedical
- 392Esophagitis, Gastroenteritis and Miscellaneous Digestive Disorders without MCCmedical
How is K23 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K23. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Stenosis, stenotic › esophagus › syphilitic › congenital (cicatricial)
- Stricture › esophagus › syphilitic › congenital
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with K23 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Code first
The underlying condition below must be sequenced before K23. K23 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
- underlying disease, such as:
- congenital syphilis (A50.5)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K23, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K23 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 K23, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K23 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- hiatus hernia (K44.-)
How long has K23 existed?
K23 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.