ICDcodes.org
FY2027

R85.5 — Abnormal microbiological findings in specimens from digestive organs and abdominal cavity

Billable

Is R85.5 billable?

Yes — R85.5 is billable for FY2027. R85.5 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. R85.5 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

R85.5 at a glance

CodeR85.5
DescriptionAbnormal microbiological findings in specimens from digestive organs and abdominal cavity
BillableYes
Code setICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encountersOctober 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does R85.5 group to?

R85.5 sits in MDC 23 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.

  • 947Signs and Symptoms with MCCmedical
  • 948Signs and Symptoms without MCCmedical

How is R85.5 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to R85.5. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

  • Positive › culture › peritoneal fluid
  • Positive › culture › saliva
  • Abnormal, abnormality, abnormalities › specimen › digestive organs › microbiology

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with R85.5 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

  • colonization status (Z22.-)

Inclusion terms

Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to R85.5.

  • Positive culture findings in specimens from digestive organs and abdominal cavity

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from R83-R89

The conditions below can never be reported together with R85.5 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

  • abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
  • diagnostic abnormal findings classified elsewhere - see Alphabetical Index

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from R85

The conditions below can never be reported together with R85.5 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

  • cloudy peritoneal dialysis effluent (R88.0)
  • fecal abnormalities (R19.5)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 18

The conditions below are not part of R85.5, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, R85.5 and the excluded code may both be reported.

  • abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
  • certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
  • signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
  • signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from R83-R89

The conditions below are not part of R85.5, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, R85.5 and the excluded code may both be reported.

  • abnormal findings on examination of blood, without diagnosis (R70-R79)
  • abnormal findings on examination of urine, without diagnosis (R80-R82)
  • abnormal tumor markers (R97.-)

How long has R85.5 existed?

R85.5 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.

Which codes are confused with R85.5?

ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with R85.5 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.

What other codes are in the R85 family? (9)