Urinary Stones without MCC DRG Reimbursement & Medicare

Urinary Stones without MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

DRG 694 encompasses inpatient encounters for urinary stones without a Major Complication or Comorbidity, focusing on cases managed surgically or conservatively with lower resource needs. It matters for inpatient reimbursement because grouping into this Diagnosis-Related Group influences Medicare payment amounts and hospital case-mix reporting.

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DRG 694 Overview

DRG 694 covers inpatient admissions for urinary stone disease without a Major Complication or Comorbidity and typically includes diagnoses such as renal or ureteral calculi managed with procedures like ureteroscopy, lithotripsy, or stent placement. This Diagnosis-Related Group groups patients with relatively low resource intensity compared with cases that have complications, which affects payment assignment and length-of-stay expectations under Medicare inpatient prospective payment policies. Accurate coding of diagnoses and related procedures determines classification into this Diagnosis-Related Group and therefore impacts Medicare reimbursement. Clinical documentation that distinguishes absence of Major Complication or Comorbidity is essential for correct grouping.

Urinary Stones without MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

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DRG 694 Overview

Clinical Trials

Acute procedural efficacy and safety studies: Trials comparing minimally invasive interventions such as ureteroscopy, shock wave lithotripsy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for immediate stone clearance in hospitalized patients with obstructing ureteral or renal calculi. These studies enroll adult inpatients presenting with symptomatic stones (pain, infection risk, or obstruction) and focus on short-term outcomes like stone-free rates, complication rates, procedure time, need for repeat intervention, and length of stay. Results are directly relevant to surgeons, hospitalists, and payers because they inform choice of index procedure that can reduce complications, resource utilization, and inpatient costs.
Comparative effectiveness and care pathway trials for conservatively managed stones: Randomized or pragmatic studies that compare active surveillance with medical expulsive therapy, optimized pain control protocols, or early outpatient versus inpatient management for patients with small non-obstructing ureteral stones. These trials typically enroll patients admitted or observed for stone-related pain but who may not require immediate surgery, assessing outcomes such as spontaneous passage rates, subsequent admissions or procedures, analgesic use, and patient-reported pain and function. Findings guide clinicians and payers on which nonoperative pathways safely reduce inpatient interventions and readmissions while maintaining patient-centered outcomes and overall cost-effectiveness.
Post-discharge prevention and recurrence reduction studies: Longitudinal interventional or cohort studies testing metabolic evaluation pathways, dietary and pharmacologic prevention strategies, or care-coordination programs aimed at reducing recurrent stone events and future admissions among patients recently hospitalized for urinary stones. These studies focus on patients discharged after an acute stone episode and measure adherence to prevention plans, recurrence rates, healthcare utilization (ED visits, readmissions), and cost offsets over months to years. For providers and payers, evidence from these studies supports investment in outpatient prevention services that can lower recurrent admissions, downstream procedures, and long-term expenditures associated with this DRG.

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.

Acute procedural efficacy and safety studies: Trials comparing minimally invasive interventions such as ureteroscopy, shock wave lithotripsy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for immediate stone clearance in hospitalized patients with obstructing ureteral or renal calculi. These studies enroll adult inpatients presenting with symptomatic stones (pain, infection risk, or obstruction) and focus on short-term outcomes like stone-free rates, complication rates, procedure time, need for repeat intervention, and length of stay. Results are directly relevant to surgeons, hospitalists, and payers because they inform choice of index procedure that can reduce complications, resource utilization, and inpatient costs.
Comparative effectiveness and care pathway trials for conservatively managed stones: Randomized or pragmatic studies that compare active surveillance with medical expulsive therapy, optimized pain control protocols, or early outpatient versus inpatient management for patients with small non-obstructing ureteral stones. These trials typically enroll patients admitted or observed for stone-related pain but who may not require immediate surgery, assessing outcomes such as spontaneous passage rates, subsequent admissions or procedures, analgesic use, and patient-reported pain and function. Findings guide clinicians and payers on which nonoperative pathways safely reduce inpatient interventions and readmissions while maintaining patient-centered outcomes and overall cost-effectiveness.
Post-discharge prevention and recurrence reduction studies: Longitudinal interventional or cohort studies testing metabolic evaluation pathways, dietary and pharmacologic prevention strategies, or care-coordination programs aimed at reducing recurrent stone events and future admissions among patients recently hospitalized for urinary stones. These studies focus on patients discharged after an acute stone episode and measure adherence to prevention plans, recurrence rates, healthcare utilization (ED visits, readmissions), and cost offsets over months to years. For providers and payers, evidence from these studies supports investment in outpatient prevention services that can lower recurrent admissions, downstream procedures, and long-term expenditures associated with this DRG.

OpenPayer

Urinary Stones without MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

Sign up for drg 694 policy alerts

DRG 694 Overview

OpenPayer

Urinary Stones without MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

Sign up for drg 694 policy alerts

DRG 694 Overview

Clinical Trials

Related Codes

References

Clinical Trials

Related Codes

References