K90.49 — Malabsorption due to intolerance, not elsewhere classified
Is K90.49 billable?
Yes, but K90.49 is an unspecified code. K90.49 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, K90.49 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 K90.49 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
More specific alternatives
K90.49 at a glance
| Code | K90.49 |
|---|---|
| Description | Malabsorption due to intolerance, not elsewhere classified |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does K90.49 group to?
K90.49 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
As a secondary diagnosis, K90.49 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is K90.49 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to K90.49. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Absorption › carbohydrate, disturbance
- Absorption › fat, disturbance
- Absorption › protein, disturbance
- Absorption › starch, disturbance
- Enteropathy › protein-losing
- Intolerance › carbohydrate
- Intolerance › fat NEC
- Intolerance › food
- Intolerance › milk NEC
- Intolerance › protein
- Intolerance › starch NEC
- Malabsorption › carbohydrate
Inclusion terms
Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to K90.49.
- Malabsorption due to intolerance to carbohydrate
- Malabsorption due to intolerance to fat
- Malabsorption due to intolerance to protein
- Malabsorption due to intolerance to starch
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K90
The conditions below can never be reported together with K90.49 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- intestinal malabsorption following gastrointestinal surgery (K91.2)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K90.49, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K90.49 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 K90.4
The conditions below are not part of K90.49, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K90.49 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has K90.49 existed?
K90.49 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.