Is K72.90 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes. K72.90 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.

Where does K72.90 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K95), in the block Diseases of liver (K70-K77).

What cannot be coded together with K72.90?

K72.90 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 K72.90 (K72) and apply to it just the same.

K72.90

K72.90 — Hepatic failure, unspecified without coma

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CM

K72.90 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for hepatic failure, unspecified without coma. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above K72.90

These are not written on K72.90, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing K72.90 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on K72 — Hepatic failure, not elsewhere classified

alcoholic hepatic failure (K70.4)
hepatic failure with toxic liver disease (K71.1-)
icterus of newborn (P55-P59)
postprocedural hepatic failure (K91.82)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above K72.90

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of K72.90, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on K72 — Hepatic failure, not elsewhere classified

hepatic failure complicating abortion or ectopic or molar pregnancy (O00-O07, O08.8)
hepatic failure complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O26.6-)
viral hepatitis with hepatic coma (B15-B19)

Other codes that can never be billed with K72.90

These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at K72.90. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading K72.90 alone.

K76.2Central hemorrhagic necrosis of liver
R40Somnolence, stupor and coma

Risk adjustment

K72.90 risk-adjusts. Under the CMS-HCC V28 model it maps to this category:

HCC 63 Chronic Liver Failure/End-Stage Liver Disorders0.962 RAF

Coefficient shown for the Community Non-dual Aged segment. A higher HCC in the same hierarchy will suppress this one, so capturing it does not always add score.

Medicare coverage

K72.90 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
A56500Billing and Coding: Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Angiography
A57361Billing and Coding: Monitored Anesthesia Care

How K72.90 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 K72.90.

Atrophy, atrophic›liver(yellow)
Failure, failed›hepatic
Hepatitis›malignant NEC(with hepatic failure)
Impaired, impairment›liver
Jaundice›malignant(without coma)

Code history

K72.90 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 K72.9. If K72.90 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

K72.91Hepatic failure, unspecified with coma

Questions about K72.90

Is K72.90 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: Yes. K72.90 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
Where does K72.90 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K95), in the block Diseases of liver (K70-K77).
What cannot be coded together with K72.90?: K72.90 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 K72.90 (K72) and apply to it just the same.