DRG 602 Overview

DRG 602 covers inpatient admissions for cellulitis with a Major Complication or Comorbidity, typically involving severe soft tissue infection requiring systemic therapy and often additional interventions or monitoring. This Diagnosis-Related Group captures higher resource use driven by increased medical complexity, prolonged hospital stay, and potential need for intravenous antibiotics, surgical debridement, or intensive supportive care. It matters for Medicare payment because classification into this group affects hospital reimbursement levels under the inpatient prospective payment system. Accurate clinical documentation and coding determine assignment to this Diagnosis-Related Group and the associated payment weight.

Across payers the observed rate range spans from about $370 to $52K, with the widest spread between minimum and maximum seen for Anthem (min $390 to max $52K). Benchmarks for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, and Anthem are shown in the table and chart below. The payer-level means vary notably, indicating substantial variation by commercial payer.

The CMS 2023 data represent national Medicare fee-for-service inpatient payments as reported in the CMS Provider Utilization and Payment Data program. The table below shows average total payment, average submitted covered charges, average Medicare payment, and total discharges for DRG 602. These values reflect aggregated payment and charge amounts across all Medicare FFS discharges in the reporting year.

• Acute antimicrobial regimen trials: randomized controlled trials comparing different intravenous antibiotic regimens, dosing strategies, or adjunctive therapies in hospitalized adults with severe cellulitis complicated by major comorbid conditions (for example diabetes with neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, or immunosuppression). These studies focus on time to clinical improvement, need for ICU-level care, or prevention of progression to necrotizing infection and are relevant because optimal inpatient antibiotic choice and duration directly affect length of stay, complication rates, and short-term costs for DRG 602 patients. Providers and payers use this evidence to balance clinical efficacy against antimicrobial stewardship and resource utilization.
• Comparative effectiveness and care-pathway studies: pragmatic trials or observational comparative studies evaluating different inpatient care pathways such as early surgical consultation vs standard medical management, standardized cellulitis bundles (wound care plus multidisciplinary rounds) versus usual care, or step-down criteria to oral therapy and discharge. These studies typically enroll medically complex inpatients with cellulitis and major comorbid conditions to determine which pathways reduce LOS, readmissions, and avoid escalation to MCC events. Results inform hospital protocols and reimbursement case-mix considerations by identifying interventions that safely shorten hospitalization and lower avoidable high-cost complications for DRG 602.
• Post-discharge outcomes and transitional care research: prospective cohort studies and interventional trials testing post-discharge strategies (home health nursing, telehealth wound follow-up, outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy programs) in patients discharged after hospitalization for cellulitis with major comorbidities. These trials measure 30- to 90-day readmission rates, wound healing, functional recovery, and adverse events related to outpatient management in a population at high risk of relapse or complications. Payers and providers rely on this evidence to design discharge planning and coverage policies that reduce readmissions and downstream costs associated with the DRG while maintaining patient safety.