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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

Q68.3Congenital bowing of femur

✓ Billable / specificPOA exempt

Q68.3 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for congenital bowing of femur. It can be reported on claims for dates of service from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027.

Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About Q68.3

Q68.3 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for congenital bowing of femur. It belongs to category Q68 (other congenital musculoskeletal deformities), block Q65-Q79 (congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system) and chapter 17 (congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders). It is billable, so it can be reported on its own for dates of service from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Within Q68 (other congenital musculoskeletal deformities), Q68.3 is specifically for congenital bowing of femur. Related codes cover congenital deformity of sternocleidomastoid muscle (Q68.0), congenital deformity of finger(s) and hand (Q68.1), congenital deformity of knee (Q68.2), congenital bowing of tibia and fibula (Q68.4), congenital bowing of long bones of leg, unspecified (Q68.5), Discoid meniscus (Q68.6) and other specified congenital musculoskeletal deformities (Q68.8).

Don't report Q68.3 together with the conditions in its Excludes1 note: anteversion of femur (neck) (Q65.89).

It is not a CC or MCC, so as a secondary diagnosis it doesn't change the MS-DRG severity level.

In MS-DRG v44.0, it is part of the grouping logic for DRG 564 (Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with MCC, relative weight 1.4908), DRG 565 (Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with CC, relative weight 0.9783) and DRG 566 (Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses without CC/MCC, relative weight 0.7378), in MDC 08 (Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue), as a principal or secondary diagnosis. The DRG a claim lands in depends on the principal diagnosis, procedures and any CC/MCC secondary diagnoses.

It is exempt from present-on-admission (POA) reporting, so no POA indicator is required.

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

Before ICD-10, this condition was coded in ICD-9-CM as 754.42 (congenital bowing of femur).

Coding notes

Excludes1Not coded here — never report together with this code
  • anteversion of femur (neck) (Q65.89)

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to Q68.3.

› From Q68 Other congenital musculoskeletal deformities
Excludes1
  • reduction defects of limb(s) (Q71-Q73)
Excludes2
  • congenital myotonic chondrodystrophy (G71.13)

Broader instructions also apply from Chapter 17: Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders.

Alphabetic index entries

1 entries

Terms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to Q68.3.

MS-DRG v44.0 grouping

All DRGs →

Inpatient MS-DRGs this diagnosis can group to, as the principal or a secondary diagnosis, depending on the rest of the claim.

ICD-9-CM equivalent

Converter →
  • 754.42Congenital bowing of femurexact

From the CMS 2018 General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs), the final GEMs release.

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)
  • No changes since FY2016.

Common questions about Q68.3

Is Q68.3 billable?

Yes. Q68.3 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code valid for FY2027 (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027).

Can Q68.3 be used as a principal diagnosis?

Yes. The Medicare Code Editor doesn't restrict Q68.3 as a principal diagnosis.

Is Q68.3 a CC or MCC?

No. Q68.3 is neither a CC nor an MCC under MS-DRG v44.0.

What DRG does Q68.3 group to?

Q68.3 is used in the MS-DRG v44.0 logic for MS-DRG 564 (Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with MCC), MS-DRG 565 (Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with CC) and MS-DRG 566 (Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses without CC/MCC). Which one applies depends on whether it is the principal diagnosis and on the rest of the claim.

What is the ICD-9 code for Q68.3?

The CMS General Equivalence Mappings map Q68.3 to ICD-9-CM 754.42.