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MS-DRG 458 · MDC 08 · Surgical

MS-DRG 458: Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection 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 458

FY2027 relative weight
4.0370
Higher than 86% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
-3.3%
FY2026 weight 4.1730
Geometric mean LOS
2.1 days
Arithmetic mean 2.5 days
MDC
08
Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue
Severity level
without CC or MCC
Transfer policy
Post-acute transfer DRG
Special-pay DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 458 is a surgical group in MDC 08 (Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue) at the base severity level of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 4.0370 with a geometric mean length of stay of 2.1 days and an arithmetic mean of 2.5. Its weight moved down 3.3% from FY2026 (4.1730). That weight is higher than 86% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. Its CC/MCC family (DRG 456, DRG 457) spans weights 4.0370 to 7.6210. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 242 operating room procedures codes and 163 principal diagnosis codes and 19 or secondary diagnosis codes.

What changed from FY2026 to FY2027

CMS recalibrates every MS-DRG weight annually from the prior year's MedPAR claims. For DRG 458 the FY2027 relative weight is 4.0370 against 4.1730 in FY2026, a fall of 3.26%, which exceeds the 2% threshold worth re-checking in contract models.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 458
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight4.17304.0370-0.1360
Geometric mean LOS (days)2.42.1-0.3
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)2.82.5-0.3
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 458 shares its base definition with 2 other MS-DRGs split by severity. The family's weights span 4.0370 to 7.6210, a 1.89× spread, which is the payment effect of documenting qualifying complications and comorbidities.

MS-DRGs in the same base group as DRG 458
DRGTitleFY2027 weightGMLOS
456Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection with MCC7.62109.9
457Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection with CC5.36704.5
458Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection without CC/MCC4.03702.1

Grouper logic (v44 Definitions Manual)

Operating Room Procedures: 242 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 458 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
0RG6070Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG6071Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Posterior Approach, Posterior Column, Open Approach
0RG607JFusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Posterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60A0Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Interbody Fusion Device, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60AJFusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Interbody Fusion Device, Posterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60J0Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Synthetic Substitute, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60J1Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Synthetic Substitute, Posterior Approach, Posterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60JJFusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Synthetic Substitute, Posterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60K0Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60K1Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Posterior Approach, Posterior Column, Open Approach
0RG60KJFusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Posterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach
0RG6370Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Percutaneous Approach

Principal Diagnosis: 163 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Principal Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 458 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
A0224Salmonella osteomyelitis
A1801Tuberculosis of spine
A5440Gonococcal infection of musculoskeletal system, unspecified
A5441Gonococcal spondylopathy
A5443Gonococcal osteomyelitis
A5449Gonococcal infection of other musculoskeletal tissue
C412Malignant neoplasm of vertebral column
C7951Secondary malignant neoplasm of bone
C7952Secondary malignant neoplasm of bone marrow
C7B03Secondary carcinoid tumors of bone
D166Benign neoplasm of vertebral column
D480Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of bone and articular cartilage

Or Secondary Diagnosis: 19 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Or Secondary Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 458 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
M4010Other secondary kyphosis, site unspecified
M4014Other secondary kyphosis, thoracic region
M4015Other secondary kyphosis, thoracolumbar region
M4140Neuromuscular scoliosis, site unspecified
M4144Neuromuscular scoliosis, thoracic region
M4145Neuromuscular scoliosis, thoracolumbar region
M4146Neuromuscular scoliosis, lumbar region
M4147Neuromuscular scoliosis, lumbosacral region
M4150Other secondary scoliosis, site unspecified
M4154Other secondary scoliosis, thoracic region
M4155Other secondary scoliosis, thoracolumbar region
M4156Other secondary scoliosis, lumbar region

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 08 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 458 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 458

What is MS-DRG 458?

MS-DRG 458 is "Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection without CC/MCC", a surgical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 08, Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue. 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 458?

The FY2027 relative weight is 4.0370 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 4.1730, a change of -3.3%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 458?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 2.1 days and an arithmetic mean of 2.5 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

Which DRGs are in the same CC/MCC family as 458?

DRG 456 (Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection with MCC, weight 7.6210); DRG 457 (Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection with CC, weight 5.3670). The family's weights range from 4.0370 to 7.6210, so documented complications and comorbidities change payment materially.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 458?

DRG 458 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 458?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 242 operating room procedures codes and 163 principal diagnosis codes and 19 or secondary diagnosis codes for this group. Examples from the operating room procedures list: 0RG6070 (Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach); 0RG6071 (Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Posterior Approach, Posterior Column, Open Approach); 0RG607J (Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Posterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach); 0RG60A0 (Fusion of Thoracic Vertebral Joint with Interbody Fusion Device, Anterior Approach, Anterior Column, Open Approach).

Is DRG 458 a post-acute transfer DRG?

Yes. CMS flags DRG 458 under the post-acute care transfer policy, so a discharge to a qualifying post-acute setting before the geometric mean length of stay is paid a per-diem amount rather than the full DRG payment. It is also a special-pay DRG.

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.