R29.73

NIHSS score 30-39

FY2027Chapter 18: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified/R25–R29 Symptoms and signs involving the nervous and musculoskeletal systems

Non-billable headerNot valid on its own. Use one of the more specific codes under it.

R29.73 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code header for NIHSS score 30-39. 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 R29.730 NIHSS score 30, R29.731 NIHSS score 31, R29.732 NIHSS score 32, R29.733 NIHSS score 33 and 6 more. Its coding notes include a Code first instruction and 4 Excludes2 entries.

Guidelines tips

From the FY2027 Official Guidelines. ICD10Ref adds no rules of its own.

Pressure ulcer stage, ulcer depth, BMI, NIHSS and coma scale may be coded from other clinicians' documentation. The diagnosis itself must be documented by the patient's provider.

Guidelines I.B.14Documentation by clinicians other than the providerRead the official text

Symptom and sign codes are acceptable when no definitive diagnosis has been established. They are not added for signs that are routinely associated with a diagnosis.

Guidelines I.C.18.a; I.C.18.bSymptom and sign codesRead the official text

NIHSS codes are used with acute stroke codes and sequenced after them. At a minimum, the initial score is reported.

Guidelines I.C.18.iNIH stroke scale scoresRead the official text

Code first

If the underlying condition listed here is present and known, sequence it first.

Inherited from R29.7 National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score

Excludes2

Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.

Also from chapter/block level (4 notes)
Inherited from Chapter 18 Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
  • abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
  • certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
  • signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
  • signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Notes

Also from chapter/block level (9 notes)
Inherited from Chapter 18 Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
  • This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
  • Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
  • The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
    • (a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
    • (b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
    • (c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
    • (d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
    • (e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
    • (f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.

More specific codes under R29.73 10