ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group 0KC4 includes procedures performed to extirpate solid matter from muscles in the tongue, palate, and pharynx. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when a clinician surgically removes obstructing or pathological solid material from oropharyngeal muscles. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS 0KC4 group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the procedure performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

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Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Extirpation Procedure Overview

This procedure group includes extirpation procedures that remove solid matter from muscles of the tongue, palate, and pharynx and targets the Muscles body system. Procedures involve physically taking or cutting out obstructive or pathological solid material from these oropharyngeal muscles. Accurate ICD-10-PCS coding of these extirpation procedures ensures inpatient records reflect the surgical action performed and supports appropriate reimbursement and case mix assignment.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
0	Section	Medical and Surgical
K	Body System	Muscles
C	Operation	Extirpation
4	Body Part	Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Extirpation Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
0	Section	Medical and Surgical
K	Body System	Muscles
C	Operation	Extirpation
4	Body Part	Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle

When to Use

Use a code from this group when solid material within the tongue, palate, or pharyngeal muscles is surgically removed during an inpatient stay. These codes apply when the documented operation specifically describes extirpation of solid matter from the Muscles body system in those anatomical locations.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

3 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
0KC40ZZ	Extirpation of Matter from Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Open Approach
0KC43ZZ	Extirpation of Matter from Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Approach
0KC44ZZ	Extirpation of Matter from Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

DRG Codes

12 rows

DRG Code	Description
500	Soft Tissue Procedures with MCC
501	Soft Tissue Procedures with CC
502	Soft Tissue Procedures without CC/MCC
579	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with MCC
580	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with CC
581	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures without CC/MCC
907	Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries with MCC
908	Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries with CC
909	Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries without CC/MCC
987	Non-Extensive O.R. Procedures Unrelated to Principal Diagnosis with MCC

Showing 1–10 of 12

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult presents to the emergency department with acute airway obstruction from a large, infected phlegmon or abscess within the tongue base muscles causing dysphagia and respiratory compromise; the patient is admitted for urgent surgical removal of purulent and necrotic solid material from the affected tongue musculature to relieve obstruction and control sepsis. Typical codes: 0KC40ZZ
A middle-aged patient with a chronic, symptomatic calcified foreign body or organized scar tissue embedded in the soft palate muscles after prior trauma undergoes a planned inpatient surgical procedure to excise the solid lesion and restore palatal function and speech; the operation involves direct open access to ensure complete removal. Typical codes: 0KC40ZZ
A patient with recurrent obstructive symptoms after prior transoral drainage of a pharyngeal abscess is taken back to inpatient care for endoscopic-assisted percutaneous removal of persistent organized solid debris from the pharyngeal muscles to resolve ongoing infection and prevent further airway compromise. Typical codes: 0KC44ZZ, 0KC43ZZ

Related Codes

0KC0-HEAD-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC1-FACIAL-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Facial Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC2-NECK-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC3-LEFT-NECK-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC5-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Shoulder Muscle, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC6-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-LEFT-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Shoulder Muscle, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC7-UPPER-ARM-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC8-LEFT-UPPER-ARM-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC9-LOWER-ARM-AND-WRIST-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KCB-LEFT-LOWER-ARM-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 27

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

3 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
0KC40ZZ	Extirpation of Matter from Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Open Approach
0KC43ZZ	Extirpation of Matter from Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Approach
0KC44ZZ	Extirpation of Matter from Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

DRG Codes

12 rows

DRG Code	Description
500	Soft Tissue Procedures with MCC
501	Soft Tissue Procedures with CC
502	Soft Tissue Procedures without CC/MCC
579	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with MCC
580	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with CC
581	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures without CC/MCC
907	Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries with MCC
908	Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries with CC
909	Other O.R. Procedures for Injuries without CC/MCC
987	Non-Extensive O.R. Procedures Unrelated to Principal Diagnosis with MCC

Showing 1–10 of 12

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult presents to the emergency department with acute airway obstruction from a large, infected phlegmon or abscess within the tongue base muscles causing dysphagia and respiratory compromise; the patient is admitted for urgent surgical removal of purulent and necrotic solid material from the affected tongue musculature to relieve obstruction and control sepsis. Typical codes: 0KC40ZZ
A middle-aged patient with a chronic, symptomatic calcified foreign body or organized scar tissue embedded in the soft palate muscles after prior trauma undergoes a planned inpatient surgical procedure to excise the solid lesion and restore palatal function and speech; the operation involves direct open access to ensure complete removal. Typical codes: 0KC40ZZ
A patient with recurrent obstructive symptoms after prior transoral drainage of a pharyngeal abscess is taken back to inpatient care for endoscopic-assisted percutaneous removal of persistent organized solid debris from the pharyngeal muscles to resolve ongoing infection and prevent further airway compromise. Typical codes: 0KC44ZZ, 0KC43ZZ

Related Codes

0KC0-HEAD-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC1-FACIAL-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Facial Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC2-NECK-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC3-LEFT-NECK-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC5-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Shoulder Muscle, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC6-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-LEFT-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Shoulder Muscle, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC7-UPPER-ARM-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC8-LEFT-UPPER-ARM-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KC9-LOWER-ARM-AND-WRIST-MUSCLE-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KCB-LEFT-LOWER-ARM-EXTIRPATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 27

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Extirpation Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Extirpation Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in the ICD-10-PCS 0KC4 code group?

What is the primary operation represented by the 0KC4 codes?

In which ICD-10-PCS section and body system are these codes classified?

How do 0KC4 codes relate to inpatient reimbursement and DRG assignment?

What approaches are represented among the individual ICD-10-PCS codes in this group?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in the ICD-10-PCS 0KC4 code group?

What is the primary operation represented by the 0KC4 codes?

In which ICD-10-PCS section and body system are these codes classified?

How do 0KC4 codes relate to inpatient reimbursement and DRG assignment?

What approaches are represented among the individual ICD-10-PCS codes in this group?

References