Full Thickness Burn with Skin Graft DRG 928

DRG 928 Overview

DRG 928 covers hospital admissions for full thickness burns requiring skin grafting or admissions for inhalation injury when a Major Complication or Comorbidity or a Complication or Comorbidity is present. These cases involve high-intensity surgical care, critical care support, and significant resource use for wound management and respiratory therapy. This Diagnosis-Related Group impacts Medicare payment because it groups complex burn and inhalation injury care into a higher-weighted payment category reflecting greater expected costs. Accurate clinical documentation and coding of skin graft procedures, inhalation injury, and Major Complication or Comorbidity or Complication or Comorbidity status determine assignment to this Diagnosis-Related Group.

DRG 928: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

DRG 928 covers full thickness burn admissions with skin grafting or inhalation injury when a Major Complication or Comorbidity or Complication or Comorbidity is present; it encompasses high-acuity surgical and respiratory care. This Diagnosis-Related Group matters for inpatient reimbursement because it assigns a higher payment level to reflect increased resource use, length of stay, and complexity of care for these patients.

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DRG 928 Overview

Clinical Trials

Acute airway and inhalation injury intervention trials: These studies evaluate early critical care strategies (such as optimized ventilatory approaches, inhaled therapies, and novel resuscitation protocols) in adult and pediatric patients who present with inhalational injury as part of a full-thickness burn admission. The population includes intubated burn patients with smoke inhalation and associated respiratory failure, and the research question centers on whether specific acute interventions reduce ventilation days, incidence of pneumonia, or progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Results are directly relevant to hospital providers and payers because improvements in early respiratory management can shorten ICU length of stay, reduce complications tied to higher-cost care, and alter DRG resource utilization.
Skin grafting and wound-healing comparative effectiveness studies: These trials compare surgical techniques, biologic dressings, or adjunctive therapies (for example, negative-pressure wound therapy versus standard dressings, or engineered skin substitutes versus autograft alone) in patients undergoing excision and skin grafting for full-thickness burns. The patient population includes adults with deep partial-thickness to full-thickness burns requiring operative grafting, with outcomes focused on graft take, reoperation rates, infection, and time to wound closure. Findings inform surgeons and hospital administrators about which operative and perioperative approaches produce better healing and fewer readmissions or reoperations, impacting inpatient resource use and downstream costs covered under the DRG.
Post-discharge functional outcomes and cost-effectiveness cohort studies: These prospective observational studies follow burn survivors after discharge to assess long-term physical function, scar-related morbidity, need for reconstructive procedures, and health care utilization over months to years. Cohorts often stratify by injury severity, presence of inhalation injury, and whether grafting was performed, addressing questions about rehabilitation needs, return to work, and cumulative costs across episodes of care. This research is important to payers and case managers because understanding long-term outcomes and costs can guide discharge planning, bundle payment models, and investments in rehabilitation or community services that may reduce readmissions and total cost of care.

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.

Clinical Trials

Acute airway and inhalation injury intervention trials: These studies evaluate early critical care strategies (such as optimized ventilatory approaches, inhaled therapies, and novel resuscitation protocols) in adult and pediatric patients who present with inhalational injury as part of a full-thickness burn admission. The population includes intubated burn patients with smoke inhalation and associated respiratory failure, and the research question centers on whether specific acute interventions reduce ventilation days, incidence of pneumonia, or progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Results are directly relevant to hospital providers and payers because improvements in early respiratory management can shorten ICU length of stay, reduce complications tied to higher-cost care, and alter DRG resource utilization.
Skin grafting and wound-healing comparative effectiveness studies: These trials compare surgical techniques, biologic dressings, or adjunctive therapies (for example, negative-pressure wound therapy versus standard dressings, or engineered skin substitutes versus autograft alone) in patients undergoing excision and skin grafting for full-thickness burns. The patient population includes adults with deep partial-thickness to full-thickness burns requiring operative grafting, with outcomes focused on graft take, reoperation rates, infection, and time to wound closure. Findings inform surgeons and hospital administrators about which operative and perioperative approaches produce better healing and fewer readmissions or reoperations, impacting inpatient resource use and downstream costs covered under the DRG.
Post-discharge functional outcomes and cost-effectiveness cohort studies: These prospective observational studies follow burn survivors after discharge to assess long-term physical function, scar-related morbidity, need for reconstructive procedures, and health care utilization over months to years. Cohorts often stratify by injury severity, presence of inhalation injury, and whether grafting was performed, addressing questions about rehabilitation needs, return to work, and cumulative costs across episodes of care. This research is important to payers and case managers because understanding long-term outcomes and costs can guide discharge planning, bundle payment models, and investments in rehabilitation or community services that may reduce readmissions and total cost of care.

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.

DRG 928: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

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DRG 928 Overview

DRG 928: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

Sign up for drg 928 policy alerts

DRG 928 Overview

Clinical Trials

Related Codes

References

Clinical Trials

Related Codes

References