R50.81 — Fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere
Is R50.81 billable?
Yes — R50.81 is billable for FY2027. R50.81 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. R50.81 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
R50.81 at a glance
| Code | R50.81 |
|---|---|
| Description | Fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
What Medicare edits apply to R50.81?
The Medicare Code Editor screens inpatient claims before they are grouped. These edits name R50.81 directly.
This code describes a manifestation of an underlying disease. The underlying condition must be sequenced before it, so it can never be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
Which MS-DRGs does R50.81 group to?
R50.81 sits in MDC 18 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.
- 864Fever and Inflammatory Conditionsmedical
How is R50.81 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to R50.81. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Fever › presenting with conditions classified elsewhere (inanition) (of unknown origin) (persistent) (with chills) (with rigor)
- Fever › due to › conditions classified elsewhere (inanition) (of unknown origin) (persistent) (with chills) (with rigor)
Code first
The underlying condition below must be sequenced before R50.81. R50.81 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from R50
The conditions below can never be reported together with R50.81 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 18
The conditions below are not part of R50.81, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, R50.81 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has R50.81 existed?
R50.81 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.