I73.81 ICD-10-CM Code: Erythromelalgia
Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.
Coding at a Glance
- Tabular directives
- 1 Excludes1 · 4 Excludes2
- Risk adjustment
- CMS-HCC V22 category 108
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 299 — PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITH MCC (MDC 05)
- MS-DRG 300 — PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITH CC (MDC 05)
- MS-DRG 301 — PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS 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.
Coding instructions
Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for I73.81 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 I73.81 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).
- diabetic (peripheral) angiopathy (E08-E13 with .51-.52) Compare I73.81 vs E08 →
Source: inherited from I73.8
Excludes2 — Not Included Here
Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.
- chilblains (T69.1) Compare I73.81 vs T69.1 →
- frostbite (T33-T34) Compare I73.81 vs T33 →
- immersion hand or foot (T69.0-) Compare I73.81 vs T69.0 →
- spasm of cerebral artery (G45.9) Compare I73.81 vs G45.9 →
Source: inherited from I73
Coder workflow for I73.81
MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record
Before you code I73.81
- Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with I73.81. 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 I73.81’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 I73.81. 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 I73.81(1 note)
Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with I73.81: 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 I73.81(4 notes)
Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in I73.81. 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 I73.81 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 (10)
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.
- Acromelalgia
- Disease, diseased, Gerhardt's (erythromelalgia)
- Disease, diseased, Mitchell's (erythromelalgia)
- Disease, diseased, Weir Mitchell's (erythromelalgia)
- Erythermalgia (primary)
- Erythralgia
- Erythromelalgia
- Gerhardt's, disease (erythromelalgia)
- Mitchell's disease (erythromelalgia)
- Weir Mitchell's disease
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
Other codes that name I73.81 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.
Referenced by 1 Excludes1 note: I96 — Gangrene, not elsewhere classified (via I73.-).
These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.
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 299 (MDC 05), DRG 300 (MDC 05), DRG 301 (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):CIR026 — Peripheral and visceral vascular 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 clinical category (CCSR)
AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Peripheral and visceral vascular disease).
I70.793 — Other atherosclerosis of other type of bypass graft(s) of the extremities, bilateral legs, I70.798 — Other atherosclerosis of other type of bypass graft(s) of the extremities, other extremity, I70.799 — Other atherosclerosis of other type of bypass graft(s) of the extremities, unspecified extremity, I70.8 — Atherosclerosis of other arteries, I70.90 — Unspecified atherosclerosis, I70.91 — Generalized atherosclerosis, I70.92 — Chronic total occlusion of artery of the extremities, I73.00 — Raynaud's syndrome without gangrene, I73.01 — Raynaud's syndrome with gangrene, I73.1 — Thromboangiitis obliterans [Buerger's disease], I73.89 — Other specified peripheral vascular diseases, I73.9 — Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified, K55.0 — Acute vascular disorders of intestine, K55.011 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, K55.012 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, K55.019 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, extent unspecified, K55.021 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of small intestine, K55.022 — Diffuse acute infarction of small intestine, K55.029 — Acute infarction of small intestine, extent unspecified, K55.031 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, +255 more
Same Index main term, other category
The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Gerhardt's”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.
J38.00 — Paralysis of vocal cords and larynx, unspecified (syndrome), J38.01 — Paralysis of vocal cords and larynx, unilateral (syndrome, unilateral), J38.02 — Paralysis of vocal cords and larynx, bilateral (syndrome, bilateral)
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 I73.81 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 I73.81 with this related code 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
- I70-I79 — Diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Excludes1 notes
- I96 — Gangrene, not elsewhere classified[Excludes1](via I73.-): “gangrene in other peripheral vascular diseases (I73.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Clinical classification (CCSR)
- CIR026 — Peripheral and visceral vascular disease[CCSR]— AHRQ CCSR for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses (HCUP)
MS-DRG Grouper
- DRG 299 — PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITH MCC[MS-DRG]: “PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITH MCC (MDC 05)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
- DRG 300 — PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITH CC[MS-DRG]: “PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITH CC (MDC 05)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
- DRG 301 — PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS WITHOUT CC/MCC[MS-DRG]: “PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS 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 (10)
- Acromelalgia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Disease, diseased, Gerhardt's (erythromelalgia)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Disease, diseased, Mitchell's (erythromelalgia)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Disease, diseased, Weir Mitchell's (erythromelalgia)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Erythermalgia (primary)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Erythralgia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Erythromelalgia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- Gerhardt's, disease (erythromelalgia)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
- and 2 more
Nearest codes
- I73 — Other peripheral vascular diseases[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.0 — Raynaud's syndrome[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.00 — Raynaud's syndrome without gangrene[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.01 — Raynaud's syndrome with gangrene[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.1 — Thromboangiitis obliterans [Buerger's disease][Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.8 — Other specified peripheral vascular diseases[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.89 — Other specified peripheral vascular diseases[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I73.9 — Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
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
- 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
- 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. "I73.81 — Erythromelalgia." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/i73.81-erythromelalgia
Change history
- FY2016 — October 1, 2015In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoptionErythromelalgia
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 I73.81 in its code family, with their registry titles.
- I73 — Other peripheral vascular diseases
- I73.0 — Raynaud's syndrome
- I73.00 — Raynaud's syndrome without gangrene
- I73.01 — Raynaud's syndrome with gangrene
- I73.1 — Thromboangiitis obliterans [Buerger's disease]
- I73.8 — Other specified peripheral vascular diseases
- I73.89 — Other specified peripheral vascular diseases
- I73.9 — Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified