O70.9 — Perineal laceration during delivery, unspecified

BillableUnspecified

Is O70.9 billable?

Yes, but O70.9 is an unspecified code. O70.9 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, O70.9 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 O70.9 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.

More specific alternatives

O70.9 at a glance

Code	O70.9
Description	Perineal laceration during delivery, unspecified
Billable	Yes
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does O70.9 group to?

O70.9 sits in MDC 14 and helps define the logic of 1 MS-DRG (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.

769Postpartum and Post Abortion Diagnoses with O.R. Proceduressurgical

How is O70.9 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to O70.9. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

Laceration › central, complicating delivery
Delivery › complicated › by › laceration (childbirth) (labor)
Injury › instrumental › obstetrical › perineal NOS
Laceration › perineum › female › during delivery
Delivery › complicated › by › laceration › perineum, perineal (childbirth) (labor)

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from Chapter 15

The conditions below can never be reported together with O70.9 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

supervision of normal pregnancy (Z34.-)

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from O70

The conditions below can never be reported together with O70.9 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

obstetric high vaginal laceration alone (O71.4)

Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 15

Report an additional code alongside O70.9 to fully describe the condition. O70.9 is sequenced first.

code, if applicable, from category Z3A, Weeks of gestation, to identify the specific week of the pregnancy, if known.

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 15

The conditions below are not part of O70.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, O70.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.

mental and behavioral disorders associated with the puerperium (F53.-)
obstetrical tetanus (A34)
postpartum necrosis of pituitary gland (E23.0)
puerperal osteomalacia (M83.0)

How long has O70.9 existed?

O70.9 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.