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C76.40 ICD-10-CM Code: Malignant neoplasm of unspecified upper limb

Compare with another codeCheck this code on a claim

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
5 Excludes1

Billable · FY2027A valid, specific ICD-10-CM code, reportable for dates of service in FY2027.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too; the Instructions section marks which is which.

Excludes1Never report with this code
  • malignant neoplasm of female genitourinary tract NOS (C57.9)
  • malignant neoplasm of male genitourinary tract NOS (C63.9)
  • malignant neoplasm of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue (C81-C96)
  • malignant neoplasm of skin (C44.-)

+1 more in Instructions

Most relevant related codes MedCoder-derived

Read off the official notes above and this code’s own position in the tabular list. Which to report is a documentation question; Compare shows the two side by side.

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 826 — MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASMS WITH MAJOR O.R. PROCEDURES WITH MCC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 827 — MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASMS WITH MAJOR O.R. PROCEDURES WITH CC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 828 — MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASMS WITH MAJOR O.R. PROCEDURES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 829 — MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASMS WITH OTHER PROCEDURES WITH CC/MCC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 830 — MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASMS WITH OTHER PROCEDURES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 843 — OTHER MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASTIC DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 844 — OTHER MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASTIC DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 17)
  • MS-DRG 845 — OTHER MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS OR POORLY DIFFERENTIATED NEOPLASTIC DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 17)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Risk Adjustment (CMS-HCC)

Payment categories this diagnosis maps to under CMS-HCC V28, payment year 2026.

  • HCC 23 — Prostate, Breast, and Other Cancers and Tumors

Other models: CMS-HCC V22 HCC 12 · RxHCC V08 HCC 22

Risk scores depend on the enrollee's full accepted diagnosis set and segment; a category mapping alone does not determine payment.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for C76.40 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on C76.40 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from C76

Coder workflow for C76.40

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code C76.40

  1. Unspecified does not mean incorrect. When the record gives no greater specificity, C76.40 may be the appropriate code. Check the record for detail that supports a more specific sibling. An unspecified code is for records that do not provide the detail a more specific code needs; a query, not an assumption, is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).

    ReviewC76.41, C76.42

    See the relationships section · Guide: Other vs unspecified (NEC vs NOS) →

  2. Laterality is coded in this family. Confirm the side documented — right, left, or bilateral — and select the matching code (this page’s code: unspecified). The unspecified-side code applies only when the record states no side. Laterality is assigned from the documented side; where a bilateral code exists and both sides are documented, it is used instead of two unilateral codes (Guidelines I.B.13).

    ReviewC76.41 · right, C76.42 · left

    Guide: Laterality coding →

  3. Confirm the documented site and behavior (this code’s block classifies malignant neoplasms), whether the site is primary or secondary, and whether the malignancy is current or a personal history: a previously excised malignancy with no further treatment and no evidence of disease is history, not current disease. Verify the site against the Table of Neoplasms. Neoplasm chapter guidelines (Guidelines I.C.2.a, I.C.2.d, I.C.2.m).

    See the Table of Neoplasms entries · Guide: Active cancer vs history of cancer →

  4. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with C76.40. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the record document the detail a more specific sibling code needs?
    Yes → Review the specific siblings in this subcategory.
    No → Continue — C76.40 is appropriate when the documentation goes no further.

    ReviewC76.41, C76.42

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in C76.40’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewC57.9, C63.9, C44, C80.1

  3. Is the side documented?
    Yes → Select the code for the documented side (or the bilateral code when both sides are documented and one exists).
    No → Use the unspecified-side code only when the record states no side; a query is the alternative.

    ReviewC76.41 · right, C76.42 · left

Consider C76.40. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Anatomical site
At the most specific level the record states; a site the classification separates cannot be assumed from a procedure or a measurement.
Laterality
Right, left or bilateral as documented; unspecified only when the record states no side (Guidelines I.B.13).
Behavior and current-versus-history status
Malignant, in situ, benign or uncertain; primary or secondary; current disease or personal history (Guidelines I.C.2.m).
Any detail beyond this code’s title
What the record states that a more specific sibling code would capture — or its absence, which itself supports the unspecified code.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting C76.40(5 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with C76.40: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareC57.9, C63.9, C44, C80.1

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: The provider documents the condition in the terms of this code’s title and records no further detail.

Coding question: Is a more specific sibling code supportable?

Path: Review the specific siblings in this subcategory and what each requires the record to state.

Reason: A more specific code needs documentation of the distinguishing element; without it the unspecified code is appropriate, and a provider query is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).

ReviewC76.41, C76.42

Documentation: Both the condition C76.40 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewC57.9, C63.9, C44, C80.1

Documentation: The record documents the condition on one side only.

Coding question: Which code in this family applies?

Path: Select the sibling code for the documented side.

Reason: Laterality is assigned from the documented side; the unspecified-side code is for records that state no side (Guidelines I.B.13).

ReviewC76.41 · right, C76.42 · left

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Malignant neoplasm of unspecified upper limb is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C76.40).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Verify Before Coding

  • No Medicare Code Editor or MS-DRG Definitions Manual restrictions apply to this code.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name C76.40 or its code family, from the CMS Table of Neoplasms.

Referenced by 5 Same-site neoplasm codes: C79.89 — Secondary malignant neoplasm of other specified sites (via C76.4.-)Compare C76.40 vs C79.89 →, D04.6 — Carcinoma in situ of skin of upper limb, including shoulder (via C76.4.-)Compare C76.40 vs D04.6 →, D36.7 — Benign neoplasm of other specified sites (via C76.4.-)Compare C76.40 vs D36.7 →, D48.7 — Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of other specified sites (via C76.4.-)Compare C76.40 vs D48.7 →, D49.89 — Neoplasm of unspecified behavior of other specified sites (via C76.4.-)Compare C76.40 vs D49.89 →.

These codes represent related neoplasm behaviors affecting the same anatomic site.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2027 MS-DRG: not on the CMS CC/MCC list — as a secondary diagnosis this code does not change MS-DRG severity for that release.

Named in the grouper logic of 8 MS-DRGs: DRG 826 (MDC 17), DRG 827 (MDC 17), DRG 828 (MDC 17), DRG 829 (MDC 17), DRG 830 (MDC 17), DRG 843 (MDC 17), DRG 844 (MDC 17), DRG 845 (MDC 17).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):NEO069 — Cancer of other sites (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same condition, opposite side

Same category and title, differing only in which side of the body is affected.

C76.41 — Malignant neoplasm of right upper limb (right)Compare C76.40 vs C76.41 →, C76.42 — Malignant neoplasm of left upper limb (left)Compare C76.40 vs C76.42 →

Same CMS-HCC risk category (V28)

CMS maps these diagnoses to the same Hierarchical Condition Category (Prostate, Breast, and Other Cancers and Tumors) for risk-adjusted payment.

C73 — Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland, C75.0 — Malignant neoplasm of parathyroid gland, C75.4 — Malignant neoplasm of carotid body, C75.5 — Malignant neoplasm of aortic body and other paraganglia, C75.8 — Malignant neoplasm with pluriglandular involvement, unspecified, C75.9 — Malignant neoplasm of endocrine gland, unspecified, C76.0 — Malignant neoplasm of head, face and neck, C76.1 — Malignant neoplasm of thorax, C76.2 — Malignant neoplasm of abdomen, C76.3 — Malignant neoplasm of pelvis, C76.41 — Malignant neoplasm of right upper limb, C76.42 — Malignant neoplasm of left upper limb, C76.50 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified lower limb, C76.51 — Malignant neoplasm of right lower limb, C76.52 — Malignant neoplasm of left lower limb, C76.8 — Malignant neoplasm of other specified ill-defined sites, C80.1 — Malignant (primary) neoplasm, unspecified, C80.2 — Malignant neoplasm associated with transplanted organ, D03.0 — Melanoma in situ of lip, D03.10 — Melanoma in situ of unspecified eyelid, including canthus, +213 more

Related risk categories

These categories interact through CMS's HCC hierarchy — one can suppress the other's risk-adjustment weight when both are present on a claim.

Cancer Metastatic to Lung, Liver, Brain, and Other Organs; Acute Myeloid Leukemia Except Promyelocytic, Cancer Metastatic to Bone, Other and Unspecified Metastatic Cancer; Acute Leukemia Except Myeloid, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Multiple Myeloma, and Other Cancers, Lung and Other Severe Cancers, Lymphoma and Other Cancers, Bladder, Colorectal, and Other Cancers

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Cancer of other sites).

C76.1 — Malignant neoplasm of thorax, C76.2 — Malignant neoplasm of abdomen, C76.3 — Malignant neoplasm of pelvis, C76.41 — Malignant neoplasm of right upper limb, C76.42 — Malignant neoplasm of left upper limb, C76.50 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified lower limb, C76.51 — Malignant neoplasm of right lower limb, C76.52 — Malignant neoplasm of left lower limb, C76.8 — Malignant neoplasm of other specified ill-defined sites, D09.8 — Carcinoma in situ of other specified sites

Lab tests where this diagnosis supports Medicare coverage (NCD)

Medicare's National Coverage Determination (NCD) program lists this diagnosis as medical justification for these lab tests.

Iron Panel

Contextual Map

Every relationship of C76.40 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Hierarchy

Referenced by Same-site neoplasm codes

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Risk adjustment (CMS-HCC)

  • HCC 23 — Prostate, Breast, and Other Cancers and Tumors [CMS-HCC]— CMS-HCC V28 · 2026

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 17 — Myeloproliferative Diseases and Disorders, Poorly Differentiated Neoplasms[MDC crossing]: “Myeloproliferative Diseases and Disorders, Poorly Differentiated Neoplasms — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 4,735 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027

Neoplasm sites (11)

  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, antecubital fossa or space — Neoplasm, neoplastic, antecubital fossa or space — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, antecubital fossa or space (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, arm NEC — Neoplasm, neoplastic, arm NEC — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, arm NEC (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, elbow NEC — Neoplasm, neoplastic, elbow NEC — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, elbow NEC (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, extremity, upper — Neoplasm, neoplastic, extremity, upper — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, extremity, upper (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, finger NEC — Neoplasm, neoplastic, finger NEC — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, finger NEC (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, forearm NEC — Neoplasm, neoplastic, forearm NEC — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, forearm NEC (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, hand NEC — Neoplasm, neoplastic, hand NEC — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, hand NEC (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, limb, upper — Neoplasm, neoplastic, limb, upper — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, limb, upper (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2027
  • and 3 more

Nearest codes (13)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Neoplasm Table Sites (11)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Anatomical sites from the official ICD-10-CM Table of Neoplasms that map to this code, with the matching behavior column.

  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, antecubital fossa or space — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, arm NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, elbow NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, extremity, upper — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, finger NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, forearm NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, hand NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, limb, upper — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, shoulder NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, thumb NEC — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, wrist NEC — Malignant, Primary

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v44 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Risk adjustment Official source data
2026 Mid-Year Final ICD-10 Mappings + Model Software (cms.gov/files/zip/2026-midyear-final-icd-10-mappings.zip, 2026-midyear-final-model-software.zip) — CMS-HCC V28, PY2026 mid-year final release Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder editorial explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "C76.40 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified upper limb." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/c76.40-malignant-neoplasm-of-unspecified-upper-limb

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Malignant neoplasm of unspecified upper limb

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to C76.40 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the C76 family