Q40.8 — Other specified congenital malformations of upper alimentary tract
Is Q40.8 billable?
Yes, but Q40.8 is an unspecified code.
Q40.8 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, Q40.8 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 Q40.8 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
More specific alternatives
Q40.8 at a glance
| Code | Q40.8 |
|---|---|
| Description | Other specified congenital malformations of upper alimentary tract |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does Q40.8 group to?
Q40.8 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.
- 393Other Digestive System Diagnoses with MCCmedical
- 394Other Digestive System Diagnoses with CCmedical
- 395Other Digestive System Diagnoses without CC/MCCmedical
How is Q40.8 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to Q40.8. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Absence › alimentary tract › upper
- Absence › digestive organ or tract, congenital › upper
- Agenesis › alimentary tract NEC › upper
- Agenesis › digestive organ NEC › upper
- Atresia, atretic › alimentary organ or tract NEC › upper
- Hypoplasia, hypoplastic › alimentary tract, congenital › upper
- Hypoplasia, hypoplastic › digestive organ or tract NEC › upper (congenital)
- Patulous › alimentary tract › upper
- Imperfect › closure › alimentary tract NEC › upper
- Malformation › alimentary tract › upper › specified type NEC
- Malposition › congenital › alimentary tract › upper
- Malposition › congenital › digestive organ or tract NEC › upper
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 17
The conditions below are not part of Q40.8, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, Q40.8 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- inborn errors of metabolism (E70-E88)
How long has Q40.8 existed?
Q40.8 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.