N26.9 — Renal sclerosis, unspecified
Is N26.9 billable?
Yes, but N26.9 is an unspecified code. N26.9 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, N26.9 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 N26.9 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
More specific alternatives
N26.9 at a glance
| Code | N26.9 |
|---|---|
| Description | Renal sclerosis, unspecified |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does N26.9 group to?
N26.9 sits in MDC 11 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.
- 698Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with MCCmedical
- 699Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses with CCmedical
- 700Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Diagnoses without CC/MCCmedical
How is N26.9 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to N26.9. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Contraction, contracture, contracted › kidney (s)
- Fibrosis, fibrotic › kidney
- Nephritis, nephritic › cirrhotic (albuminuric) (azotemic) (congenital) (disseminated) (epithelial) (familial) (focal) (granulomatous) (hemorrhagic) (infantile) (nonsuppurative, excretory) (uremic)
- Nephrosclerosis › senile (arteriolar)(arteriosclerotic) (chronic) (hyaline)
- Sclerosis, sclerotic › renal
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from N26
The conditions below can never be reported together with N26.9 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 14
The conditions below are not part of N26.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, N26.9 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 N25-N29
The conditions below are not part of N26.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, N26.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- disorders of kidney and ureter with urolithiasis (N20-N23)
How long has N26.9 existed?
N26.9 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.