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MS-DRG 139 · MDC 03 · Surgical

MS-DRG 139: Salivary Gland Procedures

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 139

FY2027 relative weight
1.1540
Higher than 30% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
-6.6%
FY2026 weight 1.2360
Geometric mean LOS
2.2 days
Arithmetic mean 3.2 days
MDC
03
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
single severity level
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 139 is a surgical group in MDC 03 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at a single-severity group of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 1.1540 with a geometric mean length of stay of 2.2 days and an arithmetic mean of 3.2. Its weight moved down 6.6% from FY2026 (1.2360). That weight is higher than 30% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 169 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 139 the FY2027 relative weight is 1.1540 against 1.2360 in FY2026, a fall of 6.63%, which exceeds the 2% threshold worth re-checking in contract models.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 139
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight1.23601.1540-0.0820
Geometric mean LOS (days)2.02.2+0.2
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)2.93.2+0.3
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 139 stands alone: CMS does not split this base group by CC or MCC severity, so complication documentation does not move the assignment, although it still affects quality and risk-adjustment reporting.

Grouper logic (v44 Definitions Manual)

Operating Room Procedures: 169 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 139 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
0C580ZZDestruction of Right Parotid Gland, Open Approach
0C583ZZDestruction of Right Parotid Gland, Percutaneous Approach
0C590ZZDestruction of Left Parotid Gland, Open Approach
0C593ZZDestruction of Left Parotid Gland, Percutaneous Approach
0C5B0ZZDestruction of Right Parotid Duct, Open Approach
0C5B3ZZDestruction of Right Parotid Duct, Percutaneous Approach
0C5C0ZZDestruction of Left Parotid Duct, Open Approach
0C5C3ZZDestruction of Left Parotid Duct, Percutaneous Approach
0C5D0ZZDestruction of Right Sublingual Gland, Open Approach
0C5D3ZZDestruction of Right Sublingual Gland, Percutaneous Approach
0C5F0ZZDestruction of Left Sublingual Gland, Open Approach
0C5F3ZZDestruction of Left Sublingual Gland, 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 03 with a lower weight. Because this family has no severity split, review risk concentrates on medical-necessity of the admission itself and on the two-midnight benchmark. 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 139 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 139

What is MS-DRG 139?

MS-DRG 139 is "Salivary Gland Procedures", a surgical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 03, 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 139?

The FY2027 relative weight is 1.1540 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 1.2360, a change of -6.6%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 139?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 2.2 days and an arithmetic mean of 3.2 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 139?

DRG 139 has no CC or MCC sibling, so secondary-diagnosis capture does not change the group or its weight. Review effort belongs instead on the principal diagnosis sequencing and the procedure codes that place the stay in this group, and on medical necessity of the inpatient admission itself under the two-midnight benchmark, which is where denials for single-severity groups concentrate.

Which codes group to DRG 139?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 169 operating room procedures codes for this group. Examples from the operating room procedures list: 0C580ZZ (Destruction of Right Parotid Gland, Open Approach); 0C583ZZ (Destruction of Right Parotid Gland, Percutaneous Approach); 0C590ZZ (Destruction of Left Parotid Gland, Open Approach); 0C593ZZ (Destruction of Left Parotid Gland, Percutaneous Approach).

Is DRG 139 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 139 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.