K56.601 — Complete intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause
Is K56.601 billable?
Yes, but K56.601 is an unspecified code. K56.601 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, K56.601 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 K56.601 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
K56.601 at a glance
| Code | K56.601 |
|---|---|
| Description | Complete intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does K56.601 group to?
K56.601 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.
- 388Gastrointestinal Obstruction with MCCmedical
- 389Gastrointestinal Obstruction with CCmedical
- 390Gastrointestinal Obstruction without CC/MCCmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, K56.601 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is K56.601 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K56.601. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Obstruction, obstructed, obstructive › intestine › complete
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K56
The conditions below can never be reported together with K56.601 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K56.601, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K56.601 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 K56
The conditions below are not part of K56.601, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K56.601 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- stenosis of anus or rectum (K62.4)
How long has K56.601 existed?
K56.601 first appears in FY2018 (FY2017 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.