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MS-DRG 768 · MDC 14 · Surgical

MS-DRG 768: Vaginal Delivery with O.R. Procedures Except Sterilization and/or D&C

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 768

FY2027 relative weight
1.0510
Higher than 25% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
-2.0%
FY2026 weight 1.0720
Geometric mean LOS
2.7 days
Arithmetic mean 3.3 days
MDC
14
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
single severity level
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 768 is a surgical group in MDC 14 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at a single-severity group of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 1.0510 with a geometric mean length of stay of 2.7 days and an arithmetic mean of 3.3. Its weight moved down 2.0% from FY2026 (1.0720). That weight is higher than 25% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 19 secondary diagnosis codes and 2 operating room procedures codes and 80 with any operating room procedures except codes.

What changed from FY2026 to FY2027

CMS recalibrates every MS-DRG weight annually from the prior year's MedPAR claims. For DRG 768 the FY2027 relative weight is 1.0510 against 1.0720 in FY2026, a fall of 1.96%.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 768
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight1.07201.0510-0.0210
Geometric mean LOS (days)2.72.7+0.0
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)3.43.3-0.1
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 768 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)

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

Secondary Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 768 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
Z370Single live birth
Z371Single stillbirth
Z372Twins, both liveborn
Z373Twins, one liveborn and one stillborn
Z374Twins, both stillborn
Z3750Multiple births, unspecified, all liveborn
Z3751Triplets, all liveborn
Z3752Quadruplets, all liveborn
Z3753Quintuplets, all liveborn
Z3754Sextuplets, all liveborn
Z3759Other multiple births, all liveborn
Z3760Multiple births, unspecified, some liveborn

Operating Room Procedures: 2 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 768 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
10D17Z9Manual Extraction of Products of Conception, Retained, Via Natural or Artificial Opening
10D18Z9Manual Extraction of Products of Conception, Retained, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic

With Any Operating Room Procedures Except: 80 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

With Any Operating Room Procedures Except codes assigned to DRG 768 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
0KQM0ZZRepair Perineum Muscle, Open Approach
0U570ZZDestruction of Bilateral Fallopian Tubes, Open Approach
0U573ZZDestruction of Bilateral Fallopian Tubes, Percutaneous Approach
0U574ZZDestruction of Bilateral Fallopian Tubes, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
0U577ZZDestruction of Bilateral Fallopian Tubes, Via Natural or Artificial Opening
0U578ZZDestruction of Bilateral Fallopian Tubes, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic
0UB50ZZExcision of Right Fallopian Tube, Open Approach
0UB53ZZExcision of Right Fallopian Tube, Percutaneous Approach
0UB54ZZExcision of Right Fallopian Tube, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
0UB57ZZExcision of Right Fallopian Tube, Via Natural or Artificial Opening
0UB58ZZExcision of Right Fallopian Tube, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic
0UB60ZZExcision of Left Fallopian Tube, 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 14 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 768 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 768

What is MS-DRG 768?

MS-DRG 768 is "Vaginal Delivery with O.R. Procedures Except Sterilization and/or D&C", a surgical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 14, 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 768?

The FY2027 relative weight is 1.0510 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 1.0720, a change of -2.0%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 768?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 2.7 days and an arithmetic mean of 3.3 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 768?

DRG 768 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 768?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 19 secondary diagnosis codes and 2 operating room procedures codes and 80 with any operating room procedures except codes for this group. Examples from the secondary diagnosis list: Z370 (Single live birth); Z371 (Single stillbirth); Z372 (Twins, both liveborn); Z373 (Twins, one liveborn and one stillborn).

Is DRG 768 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 768 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.