K21
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease
Non-billable headerNot valid on its own. Use one of the more specific codes under it.
K21 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code category for gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Report a more specific code from it instead. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. The more specific codes under it are K21.0 Gastro-esophageal reflux disease with esophagitis and K21.9 Gastro-esophageal reflux disease without esophagitis. Its coding notes include 1 Excludes1 entry and 9 Excludes2 entries.
Excludes1
Not coded here. The listed conditions generally should not be reported together.
This code
- newborn esophageal reflux (P78.83)
Excludes2
Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.
Also from chapter/block level (9 notes)
Inherited from Chapter 11 Diseases of the digestive system
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)