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R29.73 ICD-10-CM Code: NIHSS score 30-39

Compare with another code for R29.73Check 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

Official instructions
1 code-first instruction

What these terms mean →

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, and is marked with where it comes from.

Code firstfrom R29.7Sequence the underlying condition before this code
  • the type of cerebral infarction (I60.-, I61.-, I62.-, I63.-)

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 18: Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings, Not Elsewhere ClassifiedR25-R29 Symptoms and signs involving the nervous and musculoskeletal systemsR29 Other symptoms and signs involving the nervous and musculoskeletal systemsR29.7 National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score

Codes under R29.73 (10)

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 R29.73 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 R29.73 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Code First

Underlying conditions that must be sequenced before this code.

  • the type of cerebral infarction (I60.-, I61.-, I62.-, I63.-)

Source: inherited from R29.7

Coder workflow for R29.73

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

Before you code R29.73

  1. R29.73 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).

    ReviewR29.730, R29.731, R29.732, R29.733, R29.734, R29.735, R29.736, R29.737, R29.738, R29.739

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

  2. Check whether an established diagnosis that explains this sign or symptom is documented. If one is, review whether the documented diagnosis changes the coding pathway: a symptom that is integral to a confirmed diagnosis is not reported separately, while one not routinely associated with it may be. Signs and symptoms are reported when no definitive diagnosis is established (Guidelines I.B.4, I.B.5, I.B.6, I.C.18.b).

    Guide: Symptom code vs confirmed diagnosis →

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath R29.73?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → R29.73 cannot be reported as written. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

    ReviewR29.730, R29.731, R29.732, R29.733, R29.734, R29.735, R29.736, R29.737, R29.738, R29.739

  2. Is an established diagnosis that explains this sign or symptom documented?
    Yes → Review whether the documented diagnosis changes the coding pathway: a symptom integral to it is not reported separately.
    No → Continue — the sign or symptom code stands when no definitive diagnosis is established.
  3. Is the underlying (etiologic) condition the Code First note names documented?
    Yes → Sequence the underlying condition first, then the code beneath R29.73.
    No → Continue; do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

    ReviewI60, I61, I62, I63

Report the code beneath R29.73 that the documentation supports, not R29.73 itself. Then confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

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 underlying (etiologic) condition
Named in the Code First note; sequenced before this code when documented (Guidelines I.A.13).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Code First — sequencing check(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the underlying or etiologic condition the note names is documented. When it is, sequence it before R29.73. Do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

    ReviewI60, I61, I62, I63

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: The sign or symptom is documented, and the same record establishes a diagnosis that routinely includes it.

Coding question: Is the code beneath R29.73 reported in addition to the diagnosis?

Path: Review the documented diagnosis and whether the classification treats this finding as integral to it.

Reason: Signs and symptoms integral to a confirmed diagnosis are not coded separately; those not routinely associated with it may be reported when present (Guidelines I.B.5, I.B.6, I.C.18.b).

Documentation: The underlying condition the Code First note names is documented alongside this condition.

Coding question: How are the two sequenced?

Path: Review the Code First note.

Reason: The underlying condition is sequenced first and the manifestation follows (Guidelines I.A.13).

ReviewI60, I61, I62, I63

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

NIHSS score 30-39 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (R29.73). 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

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 R29.73 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 4 Use Additional Code instructions: I60 — Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (via R29.7.-), I61 — Nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (via R29.7.-), I62 — Other and unspecified nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage (via R29.7.-), I63 — Cerebral infarction (via R29.7.-).

These codes instruct coders to additionally report this code when it applies.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of R29.73 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 R29.73 with these 4 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Use Additional Code instructions

  • I60 — Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage[Use Additional Code](via R29.7.-): “code, if known, to indicate National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (R29.7-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • I61 — Nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage[Use Additional Code](via R29.7.-): “code, if known, to indicate National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (R29.7-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • I62 — Other and unspecified nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage[Use Additional Code](via R29.7.-): “code, if known, to indicate National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (R29.7-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • I63 — Cerebral infarction[Use Additional Code](via R29.7.-): “code, if known, to indicate National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (R29.7-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027

Nearest codes (40)

Change history (3)

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 R29.73 be billed directly?

No. R29.73 (NIHSS score 30-39) 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. "R29.73 — NIHSS score 30-39." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/r29.73-nihss-score-30-39

Change history

Changed in FY2027, the release in force: Code First note added; Code First note removed.

  • FY2027 — October 1, 2026
    Code First note added
    the type of cerebral infarction (I60.-, I61.-, I62.-, I63.-)
    FY2027 changes
  • FY2027 — October 1, 2026
    Code First note removed
    the type of cerebral infarction (I63.-)
    FY2027 changes
  • FY2017 — October 1, 2016
    Added to the code set
    NIHSS score 30-39
    FY2017 changes

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to R29.73 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the R29 family