Unspecified intestinal obstruction

Not billableICD-10-CM diagnosis code.

This code exists but cannot be submitted on its own. It groups the more specific codes beneath it.

Billable FY2016 to FY2017, and a category header from FY2018.

Submit one of these 3 more specific codes instead:

K56.600 Partial intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause
K56.601 Complete intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to cause
K56.609 Unspecified intestinal obstruction, unspecified as to partial versus complete obstruction

What has happened to this code

Every change the publisher made, from 2007 to now. Entries marked draft are from the pre-implementation releases: ICD-10 took effect on 1 October 2015, so nothing before FY2016 was ever valid on a claim.

FY2007 Added to the draft code set draft Unspecified intestinal obstruction
FY2018 Stopped being billable

Official coding rules

Published by CDC for FY2027. A rule attached to a category binds every code beneath it, so the rules inherited from this code's ancestors are shown with the code they come from.

Inherited from K56 Paralytic ileus and intestinal obstruction without hernia

Excludes1 - never coded here

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 - not included here

stenosis of anus or rectum (K62.4)

Codes in the same group

Code	Description	Status
K56.69	Other intestinal obstruction	Not billable