I51.5 ICD-10-CM Code: Myocardial degeneration
Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.
Coding at a Glance
- Tabular directives
- 3 inclusion terms · 2 Excludes1 · 1 Excludes2
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 v43, Appendix B.
- MS-DRG 314 — OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 05)
- MS-DRG 315 — OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 05)
- MS-DRG 316 — OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 05)
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 227 — Cardiomyopathy/Myocarditis
Other models: CMS-HCC V22 HCC 85 · RxHCC V08 HCC 186
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 I51.5 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.
Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025
Notes without a marker are published on I51.5 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.
Inclusion Terms
Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.
- Fatty degeneration of heart or myocardium
- Myocardial disease
- Senile degeneration of heart or myocardium
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).
- myocardial degeneration due to hypertension (I11.-) Compare I51.5 vs I11 →
- myocardial degeneration due to hypertension and chronic kidney disease (I13.-) Compare I51.5 vs I13 →
Excludes2 — Not Included Here
Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.
- heart disease specified as rheumatic (I00-I09) Compare I51.5 vs I00 →
Source: inherited from I51
Coder workflow for I51.5
MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record
Before you code I51.5
- Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with I51.5. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
Choose the right path
- Does the documentation support a condition named in I51.5’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.
Consider I51.5. 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).
Official instructions as workflow
Excludes1 — check before selecting I51.5(2 notes)
Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with I51.5: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a
Excludes2 — not part of I51.5(1 note)
Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in I51.5. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b
Coding decision scenarios
Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases
Documentation: Both the condition I51.5 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).
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.
Code Overview
MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.
Indexed Clinical Terms (7)
Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing
Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.
Official Coding Guidelines
Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines
Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines
Verbatim excerpts from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (CMS/NCHS) that govern this code.
Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00 -I99)
Hypertension with heart conditions classified to I51.5, Myocardial degeneration, or I51.7, Cardiomegaly, is assigned to a code from category I11, Hypertensive heart disease. No additional code is assigned to identify the specific heart condition.
Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00 -I99)
1) Hypertension with Heart Disease Hypertension with heart conditions classified to I50.-, Heart failure, I51.4, Myocarditis, unspecified, I51.89, Other ill-defined heart diseases, and I51.9, Heart disease, unspecified, is assigned to a code from category I11, Hypertensive heart disease. Use additional code(s) from category I50, Heart failure, or I51, Complications and ill-defined descriptions of heart disease, to identify the heart condition.
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 structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets
MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2026)
Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.
FY2026 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 3 MS-DRGs: DRG 314 (MDC 05), DRG 315 (MDC 05), DRG 316 (MDC 05).
From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.
Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):CIR015 — Other and ill-defined heart disease (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 CMS-HCC risk category (V28)
CMS maps these diagnoses to the same Hierarchical Condition Category (Cardiomyopathy/Myocarditis) for risk-adjusted payment.
A36.81 — Diphtheritic cardiomyopathy, B33.24 — Viral cardiomyopathy, I42.0 — Dilated cardiomyopathy, I42.1 — Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, I42.2 — Other hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, I42.3 — Endomyocardial (eosinophilic) disease, I42.4 — Endocardial fibroelastosis, I42.5 — Other restrictive cardiomyopathy, I42.6 — Alcoholic cardiomyopathy, I42.8 — Other cardiomyopathies, I42.9 — Cardiomyopathy, unspecified, I43 — Cardiomyopathy in diseases classified elsewhere, I51.4 — Myocarditis, unspecified
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.
Heart Failure with Heart Assist Device/Artificial Heart, Acute on Chronic Heart Failure, Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic), Heart Failure, Except End-Stage and Acute
Same clinical category (CCSR)
AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Other and ill-defined heart disease).
I25.3 — Aneurysm of heart, I25.41 — Coronary artery aneurysm, I51.0 — Cardiac septal defect, acquired, I51.1 — Rupture of chordae tendineae, not elsewhere classified, I51.2 — Rupture of papillary muscle, not elsewhere classified, I51.3 — Intracardiac thrombosis, not elsewhere classified, I51.7 — Cardiomegaly, I51.81 — Takotsubo syndrome, I51.89 — Other ill-defined heart diseases, I51.9 — Heart disease, unspecified, I52 — Other heart disorders in diseases classified elsewhere, I5A — Non-ischemic myocardial injury (non-traumatic), M05.30 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of unspecified site, M05.311 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of right shoulder, M05.312 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of left shoulder, M05.319 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of unspecified shoulder, M05.321 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of right elbow, M05.322 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of left elbow, M05.329 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of unspecified elbow, M05.331 — Rheumatoid heart disease with rheumatoid arthritis of right wrist, +15 more
Same Index main term, other category
The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Degeneration, degenerative”, “Stricture”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.
H43.81 — Vitreous degeneration (vitreous), I01.2 — Acute rheumatic myocarditis (myocardial, myocardium, with rheumatic fever, active, acute or subacute), I02.0 — Rheumatic chorea with heart involvement (myocardial, myocardium, with rheumatic fever, active, acute or subacute, with chorea), I07.9 — Rheumatic tricuspid valve disease, unspecified (tricuspid), I09.0 — Rheumatic myocarditis (myocardial, myocardium, with rheumatic fever), I28.8 — Other diseases of pulmonary vessels (artery, pulmonary, acquired), I37.0 — Nonrheumatic pulmonary valve stenosis (pulmonary, pulmonic, valve), I37.8 — Other nonrheumatic pulmonary valve disorders (pulmonary valve), I38 — Endocarditis, valve unspecified (heart, valve), I42.1 — Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (subaortic, hypertrophic), I67.2 — Cerebral atherosclerosis (brain, arteriosclerotic), I67.4 — Hypertensive encephalopathy (cerebrovascular, due to hypertension), I67.9 — Cerebrovascular disease, unspecified (cerebrovascular), I70.0 — Atherosclerosis of aorta (aorta, calcified), I70.1 — Atherosclerosis of renal artery (renal artery), I70.8 — Atherosclerosis of other arteries (artery, celiac, atherosclerosis), I77.1 — Stricture of artery (artery), I77.4 — Celiac artery compression syndrome (artery, celiac), I77.89 — Other specified disorders of arteries and arterioles (aorta, aortic, fatty), I78.8 — Other diseases of capillaries (capillaries), +265 more
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.
Contextual Map
Every relationship of I51.5 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.
Run I51.5 with these 2 related codes in Claim Check
Hierarchy
- I00-I99 — Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99) (I00-I99)[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I30-I5A — Other forms of heart disease[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
Excludes1
- I11 — Hypertensive heart disease[Excludes1]: “myocardial degeneration due to hypertension (I11.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- I13 — Hypertensive heart and chronic kidney disease[Excludes1]: “myocardial degeneration due to hypertension and chronic kidney disease (I13.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Clinical classification (CCSR)
- CIR015 — Other and ill-defined heart disease[CCSR]— AHRQ CCSR for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses (HCUP)
Risk adjustment (CMS-HCC)
- HCC 227 — Cardiomyopathy/Myocarditis [CMS-HCC]— CMS-HCC V28 · 2026
MS-DRG Grouper
- DRG 314 — OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 05)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
- DRG 315 — OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH CC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 05)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
- DRG 316 — OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 05)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
MDC crossing
- MDC 05 — Diseases and Disorders of the Circulatory System[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Circulatory System — 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. 17,209 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026
Index entries
- Cardiomalacia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Cardiomyoliposis[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Degeneration, degenerative, myocardial, myocardium (fatty) (hyaline) (senile)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Disease, diseased, myocardium, myocardial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Myocytolysis[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Stricture, myocardium, myocardial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Syndrome, Beau's[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
Nearest codes (11)
- I51 — Complications and ill-defined descriptions of heart disease[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.0 — Cardiac septal defect, acquired[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.1 — Rupture of chordae tendineae, not elsewhere classified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.2 — Rupture of papillary muscle, not elsewhere classified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.3 — Intracardiac thrombosis, not elsewhere classified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.4 — Myocarditis, unspecified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.7 — Cardiomegaly[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I51.8 — Other ill-defined heart diseases[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- and 3 more
Change history
- FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016
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 FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Coding guidelines Official source data
- ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2026), quoted by section Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Claim edits Official source data
- CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 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 — v43 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 structured 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 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.
Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates
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. "I51.5 — Myocardial degeneration." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/i51.5-myocardial-degeneration
Change history
- FY2016 — October 1, 2015In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoptionMyocardial degeneration
No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), 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 I51.5 in its code family, with their registry titles.
- I51.0 — Cardiac septal defect, acquired
- I51.1 — Rupture of chordae tendineae, not elsewhere classified
- I51.2 — Rupture of papillary muscle, not elsewhere classified
- I51.3 — Intracardiac thrombosis, not elsewhere classified
- I51.4 — Myocarditis, unspecified
- I51.7 — Cardiomegaly
- I51.8 — Other ill-defined heart diseases
- I51.81 — Takotsubo syndrome
- I51.89 — Other ill-defined heart diseases
- I51.9 — Heart disease, unspecified