Skip to main content
MS-DRG 697 · MDC 11 · Medical

MS-DRG 697: Urethral Stricture

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 697

FY2027 relative weight
0.9700
Higher than 20% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
-10.0%
FY2026 weight 1.0780
Geometric mean LOS
2.5 days
Arithmetic mean 3.5 days
MDC
11
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
single severity level
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 697 is a medical group in MDC 11 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at a single-severity group of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 0.9700 with a geometric mean length of stay of 2.5 days and an arithmetic mean of 3.5. Its weight moved down 10.0% from FY2026 (1.0780). That weight is higher than 20% of all medical and surgical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 38 principal diagnosis codes.

What changed from FY2026 to FY2027

CMS recalibrates every MS-DRG weight annually from the prior year's MedPAR claims. For DRG 697 the FY2027 relative weight is 0.9700 against 1.0780 in FY2026, a fall of 10.02%, which exceeds the 2% threshold worth re-checking in contract models.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 697
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight1.07800.9700-0.1080
Geometric mean LOS (days)2.62.5-0.1
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)3.63.5-0.1
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 697 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)

Principal Diagnosis: 38 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Principal Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 697 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
N35010Post-traumatic urethral stricture, male, meatal
N35011Post-traumatic bulbous urethral stricture
N35012Post-traumatic membranous urethral stricture
N35013Post-traumatic anterior urethral stricture
N35014Post-traumatic urethral stricture, male, unspecified
N35016Post-traumatic urethral stricture, male, overlapping sites
N35021Urethral stricture due to childbirth
N35028Other post-traumatic urethral stricture, female
N35111Postinfective urethral stricture, not elsewhere classified, male, meatal
N35112Postinfective bulbous urethral stricture, not elsewhere classified, male
N35113Postinfective membranous urethral stricture, not elsewhere classified, male
N35114Postinfective anterior urethral stricture, not elsewhere classified, male

Documentation and denial exposure

As a medical DRG, assignment depends on the principal diagnosis sequenced from the attending's documentation; a secondary condition sequenced first, or a symptom code in place of the confirmed diagnosis, changes the MDC or the DRG. 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 697 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.

Explore QuickCodeExplore QuickScribeBook a demo

Frequently asked questions — DRG 697

What is MS-DRG 697?

MS-DRG 697 is "Urethral Stricture", a medical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 11, 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 697?

The FY2027 relative weight is 0.9700 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 1.0780, a change of -10.0%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 697?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 2.5 days and an arithmetic mean of 3.5 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 697?

DRG 697 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 697?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 38 principal diagnosis codes for this group. Examples from the principal diagnosis list: N35010 (Post-traumatic urethral stricture, male, meatal); N35011 (Post-traumatic bulbous urethral stricture); N35012 (Post-traumatic membranous urethral stricture); N35013 (Post-traumatic anterior urethral stricture).

Is DRG 697 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 697 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.