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MS-DRG 142 · MDC 03 · Surgical

MS-DRG 142: Major Head and Neck Procedures without CC/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 142

FY2027 relative weight
1.7040
Higher than 52% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
+6.8%
FY2026 weight 1.5960
Geometric mean LOS
1.9 days
Arithmetic mean 2.4 days
MDC
03
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
without CC or MCC
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 142 is a surgical group in MDC 03 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at the base severity level of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 1.7040 with a geometric mean length of stay of 1.9 days and an arithmetic mean of 2.4. Its weight moved up 6.8% from FY2026 (1.5960). That weight is higher than 52% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. Its CC/MCC family (DRG 140, DRG 141) spans weights 1.7040 to 4.3100. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 183 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 142 the FY2027 relative weight is 1.7040 against 1.5960 in FY2026, a rise of 6.77%, which exceeds the 2% threshold worth re-checking in contract models.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 142
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight1.59601.7040+0.1080
Geometric mean LOS (days)1.91.9+0.0
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)2.52.4-0.1
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 142 shares its base definition with 2 other MS-DRGs split by severity. The family's weights span 1.7040 to 4.3100, a 2.53× spread, which is the payment effect of documenting qualifying complications and comorbidities.

MS-DRGs in the same base group as DRG 142
DRGTitleFY2027 weightGMLOS
140Major Head and Neck Procedures with MCC4.31007.0
141Major Head and Neck Procedures with CC2.23503.0
142Major Head and Neck Procedures without CC/MCC1.70401.9

Grouper logic (v44 Definitions Manual)

Operating Room Procedures: 183 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 142 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
03LH0CZOcclusion of Right Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Open Approach
03LH0ZZOcclusion of Right Common Carotid Artery, Open Approach
03LH3CZOcclusion of Right Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Percutaneous Approach
03LH3ZZOcclusion of Right Common Carotid Artery, Percutaneous Approach
03LH4CZOcclusion of Right Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
03LH4ZZOcclusion of Right Common Carotid Artery, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
03LJ0CZOcclusion of Left Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Open Approach
03LJ0ZZOcclusion of Left Common Carotid Artery, Open Approach
03LJ3CZOcclusion of Left Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Percutaneous Approach
03LJ3ZZOcclusion of Left Common Carotid Artery, Percutaneous Approach
03LJ4CZOcclusion of Left Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
03LJ4ZZOcclusion of Left Common Carotid Artery, Percutaneous Endoscopic 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 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 142 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 142

What is MS-DRG 142?

MS-DRG 142 is "Major Head and Neck Procedures without CC/MCC", 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 142?

The FY2027 relative weight is 1.7040 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 1.5960, a change of +6.8%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 142?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 1.9 days and an arithmetic mean of 2.4 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

Which DRGs are in the same CC/MCC family as 142?

DRG 140 (Major Head and Neck Procedures with MCC, weight 4.3100); DRG 141 (Major Head and Neck Procedures with CC, weight 2.2350). The family's weights range from 1.7040 to 4.3100, so documented complications and comorbidities change payment materially.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 142?

DRG 142 is the base-severity assignment: no secondary diagnosis on the CC or MCC lists was coded, or the only ones present are excluded for this principal diagnosis. Revenue-integrity review here looks for undercapture, meaning conditions treated during the stay (electrolyte disorders, specified anemia, acute blood loss, pressure injuries present on admission) that were never documented to the specificity the lists require. A compliant query to the attending, not a coder assumption, is the only way to move a stay to the CC or MCC sibling.

Which codes group to DRG 142?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 183 operating room procedures codes for this group. Examples from the operating room procedures list: 03LH0CZ (Occlusion of Right Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Open Approach); 03LH0ZZ (Occlusion of Right Common Carotid Artery, Open Approach); 03LH3CZ (Occlusion of Right Common Carotid Artery with Extraluminal Device, Percutaneous Approach); 03LH3ZZ (Occlusion of Right Common Carotid Artery, Percutaneous Approach).

Is DRG 142 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 142 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.