Key facts for DRG 929
- FY2027 relative weight
- 3.0180
- Higher than 77% of all MS-DRGs
- Change vs FY2026
- -6.3%
- FY2026 weight 3.2210
- Geometric mean LOS
- 5.6 days
- Arithmetic mean 7.9 days
- MDC
- 22
- Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
- Severity level
- without CC or MCC
- Transfer policy
- Not a transfer DRG
TL;DR
MS-DRG 929 is a surgical group in MDC 22 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at the base severity level of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 3.0180 with a geometric mean length of stay of 5.6 days and an arithmetic mean of 7.9. Its weight moved down 6.3% from FY2026 (3.2210). That weight is higher than 77% of all surgical and medical MS-DRGs. Its CC/MCC family (DRG 928) spans weights 3.0180 to 7.6440. The v44 Definitions Manual assigns it through 194 principal or secondary diagnosis codes and 376 operating room procedures codes and 39 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 929 the FY2027 relative weight is 3.0180 against 3.2210 in FY2026, a fall of 6.30%, which exceeds the 2% threshold worth re-checking in contract models.
| Metric | FY2026 | FY2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relative weight | 3.2210 | 3.0180 | -0.2030 |
| Geometric mean LOS (days) | 6.1 | 5.6 | -0.5 |
| Arithmetic mean LOS (days) | 8.0 | 7.9 | -0.1 |
CC and MCC family
DRG 929 shares its base definition with 1 other MS-DRG split by severity. The family's weights span 3.0180 to 7.6440, a 2.53× spread, which is the payment effect of documenting qualifying complications and comorbidities.
| DRG | Title | FY2027 weight | GMLOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 928 | Full Thickness Burn with Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury with CC/MCC | 7.6440 | 12.9 |
| 929 | Full Thickness Burn with Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury without CC/MCC | 3.0180 | 5.6 |
Grouper logic (v44 Definitions Manual)
Principal Or Secondary Diagnosis: 194 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.
| ICD-10 code | Description |
|---|---|
| T2030XA | Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter |
| T20311A | Burn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter |
| T20312A | Burn of third degree of left ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter |
| T20319A | Burn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter |
| T2032XA | Burn of third degree of lip(s), initial encounter |
| T2033XA | Burn of third degree of chin, initial encounter |
| T2034XA | Burn of third degree of nose (septum), initial encounter |
| T2035XA | Burn of third degree of scalp [any part], initial encounter |
| T2036XA | Burn of third degree of forehead and cheek, initial encounter |
| T2037XA | Burn of third degree of neck, initial encounter |
| T2039XA | Burn of third degree of multiple sites of head, face, and neck, initial encounter |
| T2070XA | Corrosion of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter |
Operating Room Procedures: 376 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.
| ICD-10 code | Description |
|---|---|
| 0HR0X72 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Cell Suspension Technique, External Approach |
| 0HR0X73 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR0X74 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR0XJ3 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Synthetic Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR0XJ4 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Synthetic Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR0XJZ | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Synthetic Substitute, External Approach |
| 0HR0XK3 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR0XK4 | Replacement of Scalp Skin with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR1X72 | Replacement of Face Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Cell Suspension Technique, External Approach |
| 0HR1X73 | Replacement of Face Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR1X74 | Replacement of Face Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach |
| 0HR1XJ3 | Replacement of Face Skin with Synthetic Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach |
Secondary Diagnosis: 39 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.
| ICD-10 code | Description |
|---|---|
| J705 | Respiratory conditions due to smoke inhalation |
| J951 | Acute pulmonary insufficiency following thoracic surgery |
| J952 | Acute pulmonary insufficiency following nonthoracic surgery |
| J953 | Chronic pulmonary insufficiency following surgery |
| J95821 | Acute postprocedural respiratory failure |
| J95822 | Acute and chronic postprocedural respiratory failure |
| J9600 | Acute respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia |
| J9601 | Acute respiratory failure with hypoxia |
| J9602 | Acute respiratory failure with hypercapnia |
| J9620 | Acute and chronic respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia |
| J9621 | Acute and chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia |
| J9622 | Acute and chronic respiratory failure with hypercapnia |
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 22 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 929 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 929
What is MS-DRG 929?
MS-DRG 929 is "Full Thickness Burn with Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury without CC/MCC", a surgical Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group in MDC 22, 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 929?
The FY2027 relative weight is 3.0180 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 3.2210, a change of -6.3%.
What is the average length of stay for DRG 929?
CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 5.6 days and an arithmetic mean of 7.9 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.
Which DRGs are in the same CC/MCC family as 929?
DRG 928 (Full Thickness Burn with Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury with CC/MCC, weight 7.6440). The family's weights range from 3.0180 to 7.6440, so documented complications and comorbidities change payment materially.
What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 929?
DRG 929 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 929?
The v44 Definitions Manual lists 194 principal or secondary diagnosis codes and 376 operating room procedures codes and 39 secondary diagnosis codes for this group. Examples from the principal or secondary diagnosis list: T2030XA (Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter); T20311A (Burn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter); T20312A (Burn of third degree of left ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter); T20319A (Burn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter).
Is DRG 929 a post-acute transfer DRG?
No. DRG 929 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.
- IPPS FY2027 Final Rule Table 5 (CMS-1849-F)Version v44 FY2027 · effective 2026-10-01 · file CMS-1849-F Table 5.txtSHA-256 01003dd571c1e2f5…
- IPPS FY2026 Final Rule Table 5 (CMS-1833-F)Version v43 FY2026 · effective 2025-10-01 · file CMS-1833-F Table 5.txtSHA-256 bf8c390d14b3cd3e…
- ICD-10 MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44 (text)Version v44 · effective 2026-10-01 · file fy2027-fr-icd10-ms-drg-definitions-manual-files-v44.zipSHA-256 ae4f6c11727fe91f…
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.