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K56.51 ICD-10-CM Code: Intestinal adhesions [bands], with partial obstruction

Compare with another code for K56.51Check 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
1 inclusion term · 7 Excludes1 · 1 Excludes2
Risk adjustment
CMS-HCC V28: 1 category · CMS-HCC V22 category 33

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, and is marked with where it comes from.

Excludes1from K56Not reported with this code unless documented as unrelated
  • congenital stricture or stenosis of intestine (Q41-Q42)
  • cystic fibrosis with meconium ileus (E84.11)
  • ischemic stricture of intestine (K55.1)
  • meconium ileus NOS (P76.0)

+3 more in Instructions

Excludes2from K56Not included here; may be reported together
  • stenosis of anus or rectum (K62.4)
IncludesWhat this code covers
  • Intestinal adhesions with incomplete obstruction

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 11: Diseases of the Digestive SystemK55-K64 Other diseases of intestinesK56 Paralytic ileus and intestinal obstruction without herniaK56.5 Intestinal adhesions [bands] with obstruction (postinfection)

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 388 — GASTROINTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION WITH MCC (MDC 06)
  • MS-DRG 389 — GASTROINTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION WITH CC (MDC 06)
  • MS-DRG 390 — GASTROINTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 06)

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 78 — Intestinal Obstruction/Perforation

Other models: CMS-HCC V22 HCC 33

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 K56.51 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 K56.51 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • Intestinal adhesions with incomplete obstruction

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 K56

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Source: inherited from K56

Coder workflow for K56.51

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

Before you code K56.51

  1. K56.51’s title joins a condition with an associated condition or complication. Confirm each component is documented. Where the classification presumes the link through the “with” convention, only a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it. A combination code is assigned only when it fully identifies the documented conditions; a required second code for the stage, type or manifestation is still reported when the notes ask for it (Guidelines I.B.9, I.A.15).

    Guide: Combination codes →

  2. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with K56.51. 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 a condition named in K56.51’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.

    ReviewE84.11, K55.1, P76.0, P76, K31.5, K91.3

Consider K56.51. 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).
The associated condition or complication
Whether the associated condition the title names is documented; the “with” convention presumes some links, and a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it (Guidelines I.A.15).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting K56.51(7 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with K56.51: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareE84.11, K55.1, P76.0, P76, K31.5, K91.3

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

  • Excludes2 — not part of K56.51(1 note)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in K56.51. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareK62.4

    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 K56.51 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).

ReviewE84.11, K55.1, P76.0, P76, K31.5, K91.3

Documentation: Only one of the components this code’s title joins is documented.

Coding question: Is K56.51 supported?

Path: Review the code for the documented component on its own.

Reason: A combination code is assigned only when it fully identifies the documented conditions; otherwise the documented component takes its own code (Guidelines I.B.9).

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 K56.51 with…

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

The codes most likely to be picked instead of K56.51 — 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.

  • Q41— 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 congenital stricture or stenosis of intestine moves the case to Q41; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K56.51 vs Q41 →

  • Q42— 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 congenital stricture or stenosis of intestine moves the case to Q42; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K56.51 vs Q42 →

  • E84.11— 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 cystic fibrosis with meconium ileus moves the case to E84.11; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K56.51 vs E84.11 →

  • K55.1— 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 ischemic stricture of intestine moves the case to K55.1; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K56.51 vs K55.1 →

  • P76.0— 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 meconium ileus NOS moves the case to P76.0; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K56.51 vs P76.0 →

  • K31.5— 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 obstruction of duodenum moves the case to K31.5; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K56.51 vs K31.5 →

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

Intestinal adhesions [bands], with partial obstruction is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (K56.51).

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

Official Coding Guidelines

No excerpt in the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines names this code specifically. Its chapter carries only this chapter-wide note:

Chapter 11: Diseases of the Digestive System (K00-K95)

Reserved for future guideline expansion

Verify Before Coding

  • CC as a secondary diagnosis (FY2027). Can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier.

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 K56.51 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: K66.0 — Peritoneal adhesions (postprocedural) (postinfection) (via K56.5.-).

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 11 Excludes2 notes: R10 — Abdominal and pelvic pain (via K56.-), R10-R19 — Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen (R10-R19) (via K56.-), R11 — Nausea and vomiting (via K56.-), R12 — Heartburn (via K56.-), R13 — Aphagia and dysphagia (via K56.-), R14 — Flatulence and related conditions (via K56.-), R15 — Fecal incontinence (via K56.-), R16 — Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, not elsewhere classified (via K56.-), R17 — Unspecified jaundice (via K56.-), R18 — Ascites (via K56.-), R19 — Other symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen (via K56.-).

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2027 MS-DRG: CC — Complication or Comorbidity. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, this code raises the stay's MS-DRG severity tier — except when the principal diagnosis is one of 29 clinically related codes on its CMS exclusion list.

Named in the grouper logic of 3 MS-DRGs: DRG 388 (MDC 06), DRG 389 (MDC 06), DRG 390 (MDC 06).

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

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):DIG012 — Intestinal obstruction and ileus (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 process (MS-DRG)

Acts as CC — raises the severity of other admissions. CMS groups these diagnoses into one MS-DRG principal-diagnosis exclusion process — a CC/MCC on this list never raises severity when the principal diagnosis is also on it.

K56.0 — Paralytic ileus, K56.1 — Intussusception, K56.2 — Volvulus, K56.3 — Gallstone ileus, K56.49 — Other impaction of intestine, K56.50 — Intestinal adhesions [bands], unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.52 — Intestinal adhesions [bands] with complete obstruction, K56.600 — Partial intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause, K56.601 — Complete intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause, K56.609 — Unspecified intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.690 — Other partial intestinal obstruction, K56.691 — Other complete intestinal obstruction, K56.699 — Other intestinal obstruction unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.7 — Ileus, unspecified, K63.4 — Enteroptosis, K63.8211 — Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, hydrogen-subtype, K63.8212 — Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, hydrogen sulfide-subtype, K63.8219 — Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, unspecified, K63.822 — Small intestinal fungal overgrowth, K63.829 — Intestinal methanogen overgrowth, unspecified, +8 more

Same CMS-HCC risk category (V28)

CMS maps these diagnoses to the same Hierarchical Condition Category (Intestinal Obstruction/Perforation) for risk-adjusted payment.

K51.512 — Left sided colitis with intestinal obstruction, K51.812 — Other ulcerative colitis with intestinal obstruction, K51.912 — Ulcerative colitis, unspecified with intestinal obstruction, K56.0 — Paralytic ileus, K56.1 — Intussusception, K56.2 — Volvulus, K56.3 — Gallstone ileus, K56.41 — Fecal impaction, K56.49 — Other impaction of intestine, K56.50 — Intestinal adhesions [bands], unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.52 — Intestinal adhesions [bands] with complete obstruction, K56.600 — Partial intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause, K56.601 — Complete intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause, K56.609 — Unspecified intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.690 — Other partial intestinal obstruction, K56.691 — Other complete intestinal obstruction, K56.699 — Other intestinal obstruction unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.7 — Ileus, unspecified, K59.31 — Toxic megacolon, K63.1 — Perforation of intestine (nontraumatic), +55 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.

Intestine Transplant Status/Complications

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Intestinal obstruction and ileus).

K51.812 — Other ulcerative colitis with intestinal obstruction, K51.912 — Ulcerative colitis, unspecified with intestinal obstruction, K56.0 — Paralytic ileus, K56.1 — Intussusception, K56.2 — Volvulus, K56.3 — Gallstone ileus, K56.41 — Fecal impaction, K56.49 — Other impaction of intestine, K56.5 — Intestinal adhesions [bands] with obstruction (postinfection), K56.50 — Intestinal adhesions [bands], unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.52 — Intestinal adhesions [bands] with complete obstruction, K56.60 — Unspecified intestinal obstruction, K56.600 — Partial intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause, K56.601 — Complete intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause, K56.609 — Unspecified intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.69 — Other intestinal obstruction, K56.690 — Other partial intestinal obstruction, K56.691 — Other complete intestinal obstruction, K56.699 — Other intestinal obstruction unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction, K56.7 — Ileus, unspecified, +29 more

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Obstruction, obstructed, obstructive”, “Adhesions, adhesive”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

K11.5 — Sialolithiasis (salivary duct, with calculus), K11.8 — Other diseases of salivary glands (salivary duct), K14.8 — Other diseases of tongue (tongue, congenital, acquired), K22.2 — Esophageal obstruction (cardia), K31.0 — Acute dilatation of stomach (stomach NEC, acute), K31.1 — Adult hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (pylorus, adult), K31.3 — Pylorospasm, not elsewhere classified (stomach NEC, due to pylorospasm), K31.5 — Obstruction of duodenum (duodenum), K31.89 — Other diseases of stomach and duodenum (stomach NEC), K38.8 — Other specified diseases of appendix (appendix), K62.4 — Stenosis of anus and rectum (rectum), K66.0 — Peritoneal adhesions (postprocedural) (postinfection), K76.89 — Other specified diseases of liver (hepatic), K80.21 — Calculus of gallbladder without cholecystitis with obstruction (cystic duct, with calculus), K80.51 — Calculus of bile duct without cholangitis or cholecystitis with obstruction (bile duct or passage, with calculus), K82.0 — Obstruction of gallbladder (gallbladder), K82.8 — Other specified diseases of gallbladder (gallbladder), K83.1 — Obstruction of bile duct (biliary), K83.8 — Other specified diseases of biliary tract (bile duct), K86.89 — Other specified diseases of pancreas (pancreatic duct), +140 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.

Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test

Contextual Map

Every relationship of K56.51 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 K56.51 with these 9 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Excludes2 notes (11)

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Risk adjustment (CMS-HCC)

  • HCC 78 — Intestinal Obstruction/Perforation [CMS-HCC]— CMS-HCC V28 · 2026

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 06 — Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive System[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive 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. 5,748 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027

Index entries (12)

  • Adhesions, adhesive (postinfective), intestine, with obstruction, incomplete[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Adhesions, adhesive (postinfective), intestine, with obstruction, partial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Adhesions, adhesive (postinfective), peritoneum, peritoneal (postinfective), with obstruction (intestinal), incomplete[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Adhesions, adhesive (postinfective), peritoneum, peritoneal (postinfective), with obstruction (intestinal), partial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Adhesions, adhesive (postinfective), with intestinal obstruction, incomplete[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Adhesions, adhesive (postinfective), with intestinal obstruction, partial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Band (s), obstructive, intestine, incomplete[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Band (s), obstructive, intestine, partial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • and 4 more

Nearest codes (21)

Change history

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.

Indexed Clinical Terms (12)

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.

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
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2027), quoted by section 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. "K56.51 — Intestinal adhesions [bands], with partial obstruction." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/k56.51-intestinal-adhesions-bands-with-partial-obstruction

Change history

  • FY2018 — October 1, 2017
    Added to the code set
    Intestinal adhesions [bands], with partial obstruction
    FY2018 changes

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to K56.51 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the K56 family