K51.019 — Ulcerative (chronic) pancolitis with unspecified complications
Is K51.019 billable?
Yes, but K51.019 is an unspecified code. K51.019 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, K51.019 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 K51.019 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
More specific alternatives
K51.019 at a glance
| Code | K51.019 |
|---|---|
| Description | Ulcerative (chronic) pancolitis with unspecified complications |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does K51.019 group to?
K51.019 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.
- 385Inflammatory Bowel Disease with MCCmedical
- 386Inflammatory Bowel Disease with CCmedical
- 387Inflammatory Bowel Disease without CC/MCCmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, K51.019 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is K51.019 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K51.019. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Pancolitis › ulcerative › with › complication
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K50-K52
The conditions below can never be reported together with K51.019 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K51
The conditions below can never be reported together with K51.019 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- Crohn's disease [regional enteritis] (K50.-)
Use additional code — inherited from K51
Report an additional code alongside K51.019 to fully describe the condition. K51.019 is sequenced first.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K51.019, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K51.019 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 K51.019 existed?
K51.019 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.