ICD-10-CM Code For Unspecified Kidney Failure: Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group N19 includes diagnoses of kidney failure that are not specified as acute or chronic, covering cases of unspecific renal functional decline and end-stage presentations when timing is not documented. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document clinical scenarios where the temporal course of renal dysfunction is unclear, capturing disease severity and renal organ involvement relevant to this group. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM N19 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

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ICD-10-CM N19: Unspecified Kidney Failure Overview

This code group represents diagnoses where kidney failure is documented without specification of acute or chronic status. It targets the renal system and captures cases where clinical documentation does not distinguish timing or etiology of decreased renal function. Accurate coding supports appropriate reimbursement by ensuring claims reflect the level of clinical uncertainty and resource use.

When to Use

Use a code from this group when the medical record documents kidney failure without indicating acute versus chronic status or providing sufficient detail to classify the timing. Select an unspecified kidney failure code only when no additional documentation supports a more specific acute or chronic kidney failure code.

ICD-10-CM Codes

1 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
N19	Unspecified kidney failure

DRG Codes

6 rows

DRG Code	Description
673	Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures with MCC
674	Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures with CC
675	Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures without CC/MCC
682	Renal Failure with MCC
683	Renal Failure with CC
684	Renal Failure without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient with a history of congestive heart failure and poor oral intake presents to the emergency department with generalized weakness, decreased urine output for 48 hours, and rising serum creatinine and BUN compared with baseline. Labs and fluid assessment do not clearly distinguish an acute reversible cause and the clinician documents kidney failure as unspecified while stabilizing fluids and arranging nephrology follow-up. Typical codes: N19
A middle-aged patient with long‑standing diabetes and hypertension is seen in clinic for fatigue and is found to have persistently elevated creatinine and reduced estimated GFR without documentation specifying acute versus chronic features; the clinician assigns an unspecified kidney failure diagnosis to reflect renal impairment pending further characterization. Typical codes: N19
A hospitalized patient develops oliguria and worsening renal function while being treated for sepsis; initial records note progression to renal failure but the team has not yet determined whether the pattern is acute, chronic, or acute on chronic, so an unspecified kidney failure code is used on the problem list and discharge diagnosis. Typical codes: N19

Related Codes

N17-ACUTE-KIDNEY-FAILURE

ICD-10-CM Code For Acute Kidney Failure: Group Overview

N18-CHRONIC-KIDNEY-DISEASE

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Kidney Disease (Ckd): Group Overview

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-CM Codes

1 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
N19	Unspecified kidney failure

DRG Codes

6 rows

DRG Code	Description
673	Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures with MCC
674	Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures with CC
675	Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Procedures without CC/MCC
682	Renal Failure with MCC
683	Renal Failure with CC
684	Renal Failure without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient with a history of congestive heart failure and poor oral intake presents to the emergency department with generalized weakness, decreased urine output for 48 hours, and rising serum creatinine and BUN compared with baseline. Labs and fluid assessment do not clearly distinguish an acute reversible cause and the clinician documents kidney failure as unspecified while stabilizing fluids and arranging nephrology follow-up. Typical codes: N19
A middle-aged patient with long‑standing diabetes and hypertension is seen in clinic for fatigue and is found to have persistently elevated creatinine and reduced estimated GFR without documentation specifying acute versus chronic features; the clinician assigns an unspecified kidney failure diagnosis to reflect renal impairment pending further characterization. Typical codes: N19
A hospitalized patient develops oliguria and worsening renal function while being treated for sepsis; initial records note progression to renal failure but the team has not yet determined whether the pattern is acute, chronic, or acute on chronic, so an unspecified kidney failure code is used on the problem list and discharge diagnosis. Typical codes: N19

Related Codes

N17-ACUTE-KIDNEY-FAILURE

ICD-10-CM Code For Acute Kidney Failure: Group Overview

N18-CHRONIC-KIDNEY-DISEASE

ICD-10-CM Code For Chronic Kidney Disease (Ckd): Group Overview

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-CM Code For Unspecified Kidney Failure: Group Overview

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ICD-10-CM N19: Unspecified Kidney Failure Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Unspecified Kidney Failure: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Unspecified Kidney Failure: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM N19: Unspecified Kidney Failure Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

When should I use the ICD-10-CM code `N19`?

How does coding `N19` affect claim adjudication and documentation?

Which DRGs are related to the `N19` diagnosis group?

What types of clinical scenarios does the `N19` group capture?

Are there restrictions on what `N19` indicates about treatment or etiology?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

When should I use the ICD-10-CM code `N19`?

How does coding `N19` affect claim adjudication and documentation?

Which DRGs are related to the `N19` diagnosis group?

What types of clinical scenarios does the `N19` group capture?

Are there restrictions on what `N19` indicates about treatment or etiology?

References