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MS-DRG 215 · MDC 05 · Surgical

MS-DRG 215: Other Heart Assist System Implant

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 215

FY2027 relative weight
10.1420
Higher than 98% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
+1.9%
FY2026 weight 9.9570
Geometric mean LOS
4.5 days
Arithmetic mean 8.0 days
MDC
05
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
single severity level
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 215 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 10.1420 with a geometric mean length of stay of 4.5 days and an arithmetic mean of 8.0. Its weight moved up 1.9% from FY2026 (9.9570). That weight is higher than 98% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 17 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 215 the FY2027 relative weight is 10.1420 against 9.9570 in FY2026, a rise of 1.86%.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 215
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight9.957010.1420+0.1850
Geometric mean LOS (days)4.74.5-0.2
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)8.18.0-0.1
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 215 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: 17 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 215 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
02HA0RSInsertion of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Open Approach
02HA3RSInsertion of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Approach
02HA3RZInsertion of Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Approach
02HA4RSInsertion of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
02HA4RZInsertion of Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
02HW3RZInsertion of Short-term External Heart Assist System into Thoracic Aorta, Descending, Percutaneous Approach
02WA0JZRevision of Synthetic Substitute in Heart, Open Approach
02WA0QZRevision of Implantable Heart Assist System in Heart, Open Approach
02WA0RSRevision of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System in Heart, Open Approach
02WA0RZRevision of Short-term External Heart Assist System in Heart, Open Approach
02WA3QZRevision of Implantable Heart Assist System in Heart, Percutaneous Approach
02WA3RSRevision of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System in Heart, 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 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 215 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 215

What is MS-DRG 215?

MS-DRG 215 is "Other Heart Assist System Implant", 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 215?

The FY2027 relative weight is 10.1420 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 9.9570, a change of +1.9%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 215?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 4.5 days and an arithmetic mean of 8.0 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 215?

DRG 215 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 215?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 17 operating room procedures codes for this group. Examples from the operating room procedures list: 02HA0RS (Insertion of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Open Approach); 02HA3RS (Insertion of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Approach); 02HA3RZ (Insertion of Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Approach); 02HA4RS (Insertion of Biventricular Short-term External Heart Assist System into Heart, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach).

Is DRG 215 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 215 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.