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MS-DRG 209 · MDC 05 · Surgical

MS-DRG 209: Complex Aortic Arch 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 209

FY2027 relative weight
11.5160
Higher than 99% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
+1.7%
FY2026 weight 11.3190
Geometric mean LOS
6.0 days
Arithmetic mean 9.3 days
MDC
05
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
single severity level
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 209 is a surgical group in MDC 05 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at a single-severity group of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 11.5160 with a geometric mean length of stay of 6.0 days and an arithmetic mean of 9.3. Its weight moved up 1.7% from FY2026 (11.3190). That weight is higher than 99% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 1 operating room procedures codes and 1 or operating room procedures codes and 4 or operating room procedure codes and 64 with one of the following codes.

What changed from FY2026 to FY2027

CMS recalibrates every MS-DRG weight annually from the prior year's MedPAR claims. For DRG 209 the FY2027 relative weight is 11.5160 against 11.3190 in FY2026, a rise of 1.74%.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 209
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight11.319011.5160+0.1970
Geometric mean LOS (days)6.76.0-0.7
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)10.69.3-1.3
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 209 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: 1 ICD-10 code drive assignment to this group.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 209 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
02VX3EZRestriction of Thoracic Aorta, Ascending/Arch with Branched or Fenestrated Intraluminal Device, One or Two Arteries, Percutaneous Approach

Or Operating Room Procedures: 1 ICD-10 code drive assignment to this group.

Or Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 209 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
X2RX0N7Replacement of Thoracic Aorta, Arch using Branched Synthetic Substitute with Intraluminal Device, Open Approach, New Technology Group 7

Or Operating Room Procedure: 4 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group.

Or Operating Room Procedure codes assigned to DRG 209 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
X2VJ3HCRestriction of Thoracic Aorta, Ascending and Arch using Branched Intraluminal Device, Integrated System with Innominate Branch, Percutaneous Approach, New Technology Group 12
02VX3EZRestriction of Thoracic Aorta, Ascending/Arch with Branched or Fenestrated Intraluminal Device, One or Two Arteries, Percutaneous Approach
X2VX0KCRestriction of Thoracic Aorta, Arch using Branched Intraluminal Device, with Conical Collar, Open Approach, New Technology Group 12
X2VY06BRestriction of Thoracic Aortic Arch and Descending Thoracic Aorta using Uncovered Intraluminal Device with Support Cuff, Open Approach, New Technology Group 11

With One Of The Following: 64 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

With One Of The Following codes assigned to DRG 209 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
031209KBypass Innominate Artery to Left Extracranial Artery with Autologous Venous Tissue, Open Approach
031209YBypass Innominate Artery to Upper Artery with Autologous Venous Tissue, Open Approach
03120AKBypass Innominate Artery to Left Extracranial Artery with Autologous Arterial Tissue, Open Approach
03120AYBypass Innominate Artery to Upper Artery with Autologous Arterial Tissue, Open Approach
03120JKBypass Innominate Artery to Left Extracranial Artery with Synthetic Substitute, Open Approach
03120JYBypass Innominate Artery to Upper Artery with Synthetic Substitute, Open Approach
03120KKBypass Innominate Artery to Left Extracranial Artery with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Open Approach
03120KYBypass Innominate Artery to Upper Artery with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Open Approach
03120ZKBypass Innominate Artery to Left Extracranial Artery, Open Approach
03120ZYBypass Innominate Artery to Upper Artery, Open Approach
031409JBypass Left Subclavian Artery to Right Extracranial Artery with Autologous Venous Tissue, Open Approach
031409KBypass Left Subclavian Artery to Left Extracranial Artery with Autologous Venous Tissue, Open 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 05 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 209 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.

Frequently asked questions — DRG 209

What is MS-DRG 209?

MS-DRG 209 is "Complex Aortic Arch Procedures", a surgical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 05, 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 209?

The FY2027 relative weight is 11.5160 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 11.3190, a change of +1.7%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 209?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 6.0 days and an arithmetic mean of 9.3 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 209?

DRG 209 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 209?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 1 operating room procedures codes and 1 or operating room procedures codes and 4 or operating room procedure codes and 64 with one of the following codes for this group. Examples from the operating room procedures list: 02VX3EZ (Restriction of Thoracic Aorta, Ascending/Arch with Branched or Fenestrated Intraluminal Device, One or Two Arteries, Percutaneous Approach).

Is DRG 209 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 209 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.