K46.1 — Unspecified abdominal hernia with gangrene
Is K46.1 billable?
Yes, but K46.1 is an unspecified code. K46.1 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, K46.1 is an unspecified or catch-all code. Payers apply additional scrutiny to unspecified codes and many deny them when the medical record supports a more specific option, so check the documentation before selecting K46.1 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
K46.1 at a glance
| Code | K46.1 |
|---|---|
| Description | Unspecified abdominal hernia with gangrene |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does K46.1 group to?
K46.1 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.
- 393Other Digestive System Diagnoses with MCCmedical
- 394Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CCmedical
- 395Other Digestive System Diagnoses without CC/MCCmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, K46.1 is a major complication or comorbidity (MCC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is K46.1 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K46.1. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Incarceration, incarcerated › enterocele › gangrenous
- Incarceration, incarcerated › epiplocele › gangrenous
- Incarceration, incarcerated › sarcoepiplocele › gangrenous
- Hernia, hernial › abdomen, abdominal › with › gangrene (acquired) (recurrent)
Inclusion terms
Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to K46.1.
- Any condition listed under K46 specified as gangrenous
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K46
The conditions below can never be reported together with K46.1 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- vaginal enterocele (N81.5)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K46.1, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K46.1 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)
How long has K46.1 existed?
K46.1 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 K46.1?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with K46.1 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.