ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code
R50.81Fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere
R50.81 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere. 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 R50.81
R50.81 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere. It belongs to category R50 (fever of other and unknown origin), block R50-R69 (general symptoms and signs) and chapter 18 (symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified). It is billable, so it can be reported on its own for dates of service from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Within R50.8 (other specified fever), R50.81 is specifically for fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere. Related codes cover postprocedural fever (R50.82), Postvaccination fever (R50.83) and febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reaction (R50.84).
Code first underlying condition when associated fever is present, such as with: leukemia (C91-C95), neutropenia (D70.-) and sickle-cell disease (D57.-).
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 864 (Fever and Inflammatory Conditions, relative weight 0.8551), in MDC 18 (Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Systemic or Unspecified Sites), 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 a manifestation code, so it describes the effect of an underlying disease and can't be the principal diagnosis. Code the underlying condition first.
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 780.61 (fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere).
Coding notes
Notes that apply from higher levels
Instructions written at a parent level also apply to R50.81.
Broader instructions also apply from Chapter 18: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified.
Alphabetic index entries
2 entriesTerms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to R50.81.
Codes whose notes reference R50.81
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.
MDC 18 · Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Systemic or Unspecified Sites
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Converter →- 780.61Fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhereexact
From the CMS 2018 General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs), the final GEMs release.
Code history
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
- 2026
- 2027
- FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
- No changes since FY2016.
Common questions about R50.81
Is R50.81 billable?
- Yes. R50.81 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code valid for FY2027 (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027).
Can R50.81 be used as a principal diagnosis?
- No. It is a manifestation code, so it describes the effect of an underlying disease and can't be the principal diagnosis. Code the underlying condition first.
Is R50.81 a CC or MCC?
- No. R50.81 is neither a CC nor an MCC under MS-DRG v44.0.
What DRG does R50.81 group to?
- R50.81 is used in the MS-DRG v44.0 logic for MS-DRG 864 (Fever and Inflammatory Conditions). 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 R50.81?
- The CMS General Equivalence Mappings map R50.81 to ICD-9-CM 780.61.