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MS-DRG 034 · MDC 01 · Surgical

MS-DRG 034: Carotid Artery Stent Procedures with MCC

Reviewed by QuickIntell RCM Editorial Team · Last reviewed

Data effective
Data currency: IPPS Table 5 FY2027 final rule (effective October 1, 2026); Definitions Manual v44 (effective October 1, 2026). Next CMS release: April 1, 2027 (v44.1 mid-year update), then the FY2028 final rule in August 2027.

Key facts for DRG 034

FY2027 relative weight
3.8920
Higher than 86% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
+0.5%
FY2026 weight 3.8710
Geometric mean LOS
4.5 days
Arithmetic mean 6.7 days
MDC
01
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
with MCC (major complication or comorbidity)
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 034 is a surgical group in MDC 01 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at the highest-severity level of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 3.8920 with a geometric mean length of stay of 4.5 days and an arithmetic mean of 6.7. Its weight moved up 0.5% from FY2026 (3.8710). That weight is higher than 86% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. Its CC/MCC family (DRG 035, DRG 036) spans weights 1.9200 to 3.8920. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 144 operating room procedures codes.

What changed from FY2026 to FY2027

CMS recalibrates every MS-DRG weight annually from the prior year's MedPAR claims. For DRG 034 the FY2027 relative weight is 3.8920 against 3.8710 in FY2026, a rise of 0.54%.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 034
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight3.87103.8920+0.0210
Geometric mean LOS (days)4.74.5-0.2
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)6.76.7+0.0
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 034 shares its base definition with 2 other MS-DRGs split by severity. The family's weights span 1.9200 to 3.8920, a 2.03× spread, which is the payment effect of documenting qualifying complications and comorbidities.

MS-DRGs in the same base group as DRG 034
DRGTitleFY2027 weightGMLOS
034Carotid Artery Stent Procedures with MCC3.89204.5
035Carotid Artery Stent Procedures with CC2.40501.9
036Carotid Artery Stent Procedures without CC/MCC1.92001.2

Grouper logic (v44 Definitions Manual)

Operating Room Procedures: 144 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 034 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
037H04ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Drug-eluting Intraluminal Device, Open Approach
037H05ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Two Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach
037H06ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Three Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach
037H07ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Four or More Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach
037H0DZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Intraluminal Device, Open Approach
037H0EZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Two Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach
037H0FZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Three Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach
037H0GZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Four or More Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach
037H34ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Drug-eluting Intraluminal Device, Percutaneous Approach
037H35ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Two Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Percutaneous Approach
037H36ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Three Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Percutaneous Approach
037H37ZDilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Four or More Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Percutaneous Approach

Documentation and denial exposure

As a surgical DRG, assignment depends on a qualifying operating-room procedure being coded from the operative report; a missing or non-OR procedure code drops the stay into a medical DRG in MDC 01 with a lower weight. Because this family splits by severity, auditors target CC and MCC capture: each secondary diagnosis must be documented as present, monitored, evaluated or treated during the stay to survive a DRG-validation review. Typical inpatient denial codes for this group: CARC 16 (claim lacks information needed to group the stay), CARC 50 (the admission or procedure is judged not medically necessary), CARC 97 (a service is bundled into the DRG payment).

How QuickIntell uses DRG 034 data

QuickCode groups inpatient encounters against the current v44 logic, flags CC and MCC candidates that lack supporting documentation, and shows the weight difference across the family before the claim drops. QuickScribe captures the attending's language that supports severity, and QuickRCM works DRG-validation denials with the grouper evidence attached.

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Frequently asked questions — DRG 034

What is MS-DRG 034?

MS-DRG 034 is "Carotid Artery Stent Procedures with MCC", a surgical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 01, Assignment of Diagnosis Codes. Medicare pays inpatient stays grouped here at the hospital's base rate multiplied by the DRG relative weight.

What is the FY2027 relative weight for DRG 034?

The FY2027 relative weight is 3.8920 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 3.8710, a change of +0.5%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 034?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 4.5 days and an arithmetic mean of 6.7 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

Which DRGs are in the same CC/MCC family as 034?

DRG 035 (Carotid Artery Stent Procedures with CC, weight 2.4050); DRG 036 (Carotid Artery Stent Procedures without CC/MCC, weight 1.9200). The family's weights range from 1.9200 to 3.8920, so documented complications and comorbidities change payment materially.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 034?

DRG 034 requires at least one secondary diagnosis on the CMS Major Complication or Comorbidity list, documented as present and clinically addressed during the stay (monitored, evaluated, treated or extending the stay). Conditions such as acute respiratory failure, severe sepsis or acute kidney injury with specified cause qualify only when the attending's note states the diagnosis itself, not just the lab values. Recovery auditors downgrade this group to the CC or base level when the MCC rests on an unconfirmed query or a resolved historical condition, so the query response and the discharge summary must agree.

Which codes group to DRG 034?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 144 operating room procedures codes for this group. Examples from the operating room procedures list: 037H04Z (Dilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Drug-eluting Intraluminal Device, Open Approach); 037H05Z (Dilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Two Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach); 037H06Z (Dilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Three Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach); 037H07Z (Dilation of Right Common Carotid Artery with Four or More Drug-eluting Intraluminal Devices, Open Approach).

Is DRG 034 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 034 is not on the FY2027 post-acute care transfer list, so the transfer per-diem policy does not apply to it.

Sources

Every figure on this page is taken from the CMS publications below, as released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Projection built 2026-10-01. Verify against the primary file before billing or contracting decisions.

Disclaimer

This page is an operational reference compiled from the CMS IPPS FY2027 final rule (Table 5) and the v44 ICD-10 MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Relative weights are national factors; actual payment depends on each hospital's wage-adjusted base rate, add-ons, outliers and transfer adjustments. Nothing here is legal, clinical or billing advice; verify grouping against your encoder and the published CMS files.