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MS-DRG 837 · MDC 17 · Medical

MS-DRG 837: Chemotherapy with Acute Leukemia as Secondary Diagnosis or with High Dose Chemotherapy Agent with 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 837

FY2027 relative weight
4.7100
Higher than 90% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
-2.0%
FY2026 weight 4.8040
Geometric mean LOS
10.0 days
Arithmetic mean 14.6 days
MDC
17
Myeloproliferative Diseases and Disorders, Poorly Differentiated Neoplasms
Severity level
with MCC (major complication or comorbidity)
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 837 is a medical group in MDC 17 (Myeloproliferative Diseases and Disorders, Poorly Differentiated Neoplasms) at the highest-severity level of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 4.7100 with a geometric mean length of stay of 10.0 days and an arithmetic mean of 14.6. Its weight moved down 2.0% from FY2026 (4.8040). That weight is higher than 90% of all medical and surgical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 3 principal diagnosis codes and 33 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 837 the FY2027 relative weight is 4.7100 against 4.8040 in FY2026, a fall of 1.96%.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 837
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight4.80404.7100-0.0940
Geometric mean LOS (days)10.210.0-0.2
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)14.914.6-0.3
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 837 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: 3 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group.

Principal Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 837 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
Z08Encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for malignant neoplasm
Z5111Encounter for antineoplastic chemotherapy
Z5112Encounter for antineoplastic immunotherapy

Secondary Diagnosis: 33 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Secondary Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 837 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
C9100Acute lymphoblastic leukemia not having achieved remission
C9101Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in remission
C9102Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in relapse
C9200Acute myeloblastic leukemia, not having achieved remission
C9201Acute myeloblastic leukemia, in remission
C9202Acute myeloblastic leukemia, in relapse
C9240Acute promyelocytic leukemia, not having achieved remission
C9241Acute promyelocytic leukemia, in remission
C9242Acute promyelocytic leukemia, in relapse
C9250Acute myelomonocytic leukemia, not having achieved remission
C9251Acute myelomonocytic leukemia, in remission
C9252Acute myelomonocytic leukemia, in relapse

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 837 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 837

What is MS-DRG 837?

MS-DRG 837 is "Chemotherapy with Acute Leukemia as Secondary Diagnosis or with High Dose Chemotherapy Agent with MCC", a medical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 17, Myeloproliferative Diseases and Disorders, Poorly Differentiated Neoplasms. 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 837?

The FY2027 relative weight is 4.7100 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 4.8040, a change of -2.0%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 837?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 10.0 days and an arithmetic mean of 14.6 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 837?

DRG 837 requires at least one secondary diagnosis on the CMS Major Complication or Comorbidity list, documented as present and clinically addressed during the stay (monitored, evaluated, treated or extending the stay). Conditions such as acute respiratory failure, severe sepsis or acute kidney injury with specified cause qualify only when the attending's note states the diagnosis itself, not just the lab values. Recovery auditors downgrade this group to the CC or base level when the MCC rests on an unconfirmed query or a resolved historical condition, so the query response and the discharge summary must agree.

Which codes group to DRG 837?

The v44 Definitions Manual lists 3 principal diagnosis codes and 33 secondary diagnosis codes for this group. Examples from the principal diagnosis list: Z08 (Encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for malignant neoplasm); Z5111 (Encounter for antineoplastic chemotherapy); Z5112 (Encounter for antineoplastic immunotherapy).

Is DRG 837 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 837 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.