K74.00 — Hepatic fibrosis, unspecified
Is K74.00 billable?
Yes, but K74.00 is an unspecified code. K74.00 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, K74.00 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 K74.00 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
K74.00 at a glance
| Code | K74.00 |
|---|---|
| Description | Hepatic fibrosis, unspecified |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
What Medicare edits apply to K74.00?
The Medicare Code Editor screens inpatient claims before they are grouped. These edits name K74.00 directly.
CMS will reject this code as the principal diagnosis on an inpatient claim. It describes something other than the condition chiefly responsible for the admission.
Which MS-DRGs does K74.00 group to?
K74.00 sits in MDC 07 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.
- 432Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with MCCmedical
- 433Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis with CCmedical
- 434Cirrhosis and Alcoholic Hepatitis without CC/MCCmedical
How is K74.00 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K74.00. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Fibrosis, fibrotic › liver
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K70-K77
The conditions below can never be reported together with K74.00 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- jaundice NOS (R17)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K74
The conditions below can never be reported together with K74.00 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 — inherited from K74.0
The underlying condition below must be sequenced before K74.00. K74.00 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
- underlying liver disease, such as:
- nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (K75.81)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K74.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K74.00 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 K70-K77
The conditions below are not part of K74.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K74.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Code also — inherited from K74
Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether K74.00 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.
- , if applicable, viral hepatitis (acute) (chronic) (B15-B19)
How long has K74.00 existed?
K74.00 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.