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D13.9 ICD-10-CM Code: Benign neoplasm of ill-defined sites within the digestive system

Compare with another codeCheck this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes1

Not billable · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

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
  • benign stromal tumors of digestive system (D21.4)

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

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for D13.9 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 D13.9 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 D13

Coder workflow for D13.9

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

Before you code D13.9

  1. D13.9 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewD13.91, D13.99

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. Confirm the documented site and behavior (this code’s block classifies benign 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 →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with D13.9. 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 documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath D13.9?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → D13.9 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewD13.91, D13.99

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in D13.9’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.

    ReviewD21.4

Consider D13.9. 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.
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).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting D13.9(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with D13.9: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareD21.4

    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: Both the condition D13.9 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).

ReviewD21.4

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.

Don’t confuse D13.9 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of D13.9 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • D21.4— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of benign stromal tumors of digestive system moves the case to D21.4; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: D13.9 vs D21.4 →

  • D13.3— Specificity relationship (Review)

    Overlapping diagnoses in the same category.

    Overlapping codes in the same category — the documentation decides which is the more specific fit.

    What moves you there: A record that documents no more than “Benign neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of small intestine” takes D13.3; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: D13.9 vs D13.3 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

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

Benign neoplasm of ill-defined sites within the digestive system is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (D13.9). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

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

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: D13.91, D13.99.

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 D13.9 or its code family, from the CMS Table of Neoplasms (site match derived from the code title).

Referenced by 10 Screening & history codes: Z12.13 — Encounter for screening for malignant neoplasm of small intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z12.13 →, Z80.0 — Family history of malignant neoplasm of digestive organsCompare D13.9 vs Z80.0 →, Z85.0 — Personal history of malignant neoplasm of digestive organsCompare D13.9 vs Z85.0 →, Z85.03 — Personal history of malignant neoplasm of large intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z85.03 →, Z85.030 — Personal history of malignant carcinoid tumor of large intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z85.030 →, Z85.038 — Personal history of other malignant neoplasm of large intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z85.038 →, Z85.06 — Personal history of malignant neoplasm of small intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z85.06 →, Z85.060 — Personal history of malignant carcinoid tumor of small intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z85.060 →, Z85.068 — Personal history of other malignant neoplasm of small intestineCompare D13.9 vs Z85.068 →, Z85.09 — Personal history of malignant neoplasm of other digestive organsCompare D13.9 vs Z85.09 →.

These codes represent screening tests and history codes that refer to this active disease condition.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):NEO073 — Benign neoplasms (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 clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Benign neoplasms).

D12.9 — Benign neoplasm of anus and anal canal, D13.0 — Benign neoplasm of esophagus, D13.1 — Benign neoplasm of stomach, D13.2 — Benign neoplasm of duodenum, D13.30 — Benign neoplasm of unspecified part of small intestine, D13.39 — Benign neoplasm of other parts of small intestine, D13.4 — Benign neoplasm of liver, D13.5 — Benign neoplasm of extrahepatic bile ducts, D13.6 — Benign neoplasm of pancreas, D13.7 — Benign neoplasm of endocrine pancreas, D13.91 — Familial adenomatous polyposis, D13.99 — Benign neoplasm of ill-defined sites within the digestive system, D14.0 — Benign neoplasm of middle ear, nasal cavity and accessory sinuses, D14.1 — Benign neoplasm of larynx, D14.2 — Benign neoplasm of trachea, D14.30 — Benign neoplasm of unspecified bronchus and lung, D14.31 — Benign neoplasm of right bronchus and lung, D14.32 — Benign neoplasm of left bronchus and lung, D14.4 — Benign neoplasm of respiratory system, unspecified, D15.0 — Benign neoplasm of thymus, +252 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of D13.9 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 Screening & history codes (10) MedCoder-derived

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Nearest codes (13)

Change history (2)

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.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can D13.9 be billed directly?

No. D13.9 (Benign neoplasm of ill-defined sites within the digestive system) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

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
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. "D13.9 — Benign neoplasm of ill-defined sites within the digestive system." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/d13.9-benign-neoplasm-of-ill-defined-sites-within-the-digestive-system

Change history

  • FY2024 — October 1, 2023
    Became a non-billable header
    FY2024 changes
  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Benign neoplasm of ill-defined sites within the digestive system

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to D13.9 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the D13 family