Is K44.9 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes. K44.9 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.

Where does K44.9 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K95), in the block Hernia (K40-K46).

What cannot be coded together with K44.9?

K44.9 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above K44.9 (K44) and apply to it just the same.

K44.9

K44.9 — Diaphragmatic hernia without obstruction or gangrene

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CM

K44.9 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for diaphragmatic hernia without obstruction or gangrene. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Inclusion terms

Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.

Diaphragmatic hernia NOS

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above K44.9

These are not written on K44.9, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing K44.9 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on K44 — Diaphragmatic hernia

congenital diaphragmatic hernia (Q79.0)
congenital hiatus hernia (Q40.1)

Risk adjustment

K44.9 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.

Medicare coverage

K44.9 is named in 3 Medicare coverage policies — 3 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.

A56421Billing and Coding: CT of the Abdomen and Pelvis
A56580Billing and Coding: Computerized Axial Tomography (CT), Thorax
A57063Billing and Coding: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

How K44.9 is indexed

Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to K44.9.

Hernia, hernial›diaphragm, diaphragmatic
Hernia, hernial›hiatal(esophageal) (sliding)

Code history

K44.9 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share K44. If K44.9 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about K44.9

Is K44.9 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: Yes. K44.9 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
Where does K44.9 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K95), in the block Hernia (K40-K46).
What cannot be coded together with K44.9?: K44.9 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above K44.9 (K44) and apply to it just the same.