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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

K56.60Unspecified intestinal obstruction

Not billable — use a more specific code

K56.60 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 3 more specific codes beneath it.

Code last changed in FY2018 (effective October 1, 2017). Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About K56.60

K56.60 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified intestinal obstruction. It belongs to category K56 (paralytic ileus and intestinal obstruction without hernia), block K55-K64 (other diseases of intestines) and chapter 11 (diseases of the digestive system). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 3 subcodes must be used instead.

Within K56.6, choose K56.60 (Unspecified intestinal obstruction) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: other intestinal obstruction (K56.69).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: K56.600 (cause), K56.601 (cause) and K56.609 (unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction).

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015, and changed in FY2018 (expanded into subcodes).

Specific codes under K56.60

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to K56.60.

› From K56 Paralytic ileus and intestinal obstruction without hernia
Excludes1
  • 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)
  • neonatal intestinal obstructions classifiable to P76.-
  • obstruction of duodenum (K31.5)
  • postprocedural intestinal obstruction (K91.3-)
Excludes2
  • stenosis of anus or rectum (K62.4)

Broader instructions also apply from Chapter 11: Diseases of the digestive system.

Code history

  1. 2016
  2. 2017
  3. 2018
  4. 2019
  5. 2020
  6. 2021
  7. 2022
  8. 2023
  9. 2024
  10. 2025
  11. 2026
  12. 2027
  • FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
  • FY2018 (effective 10/1/2017): Expanded — no longer billable

Common questions about K56.60

Is K56.60 billable?

No. K56.60 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.