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MS-DRG 934 · MDC 22 · Medical

MS-DRG 934: Full Thickness Burn without Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury

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 934

FY2027 relative weight
1.9900
Higher than 62% of all MS-DRGs
Change vs FY2026
-10.0%
FY2026 weight 2.2110
Geometric mean LOS
4.4 days
Arithmetic mean 6.7 days
MDC
22
Assignment of Diagnosis Codes
Severity level
single severity level
Transfer policy
Not a transfer DRG

TL;DR

MS-DRG 934 is a medical group in MDC 22 (Assignment of Diagnosis Codes) at a single-severity group of its family. CMS assigns it a FY2027 relative weight of 1.9900 with a geometric mean length of stay of 4.4 days and an arithmetic mean of 6.7. Its weight moved down 10.0% from FY2026 (2.2110). That weight is higher than 62% of all medical and surgical MS-DRGs. CMS does not split this group by severity. 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 934 the FY2027 relative weight is 1.9900 against 2.2110 in FY2026, a fall of 10.00%, which exceeds the 2% threshold worth re-checking in contract models.

FY2026 versus FY2027 payment factors for MS-DRG 934
MetricFY2026FY2027Change
Relative weight2.21101.9900-0.2210
Geometric mean LOS (days)4.94.4-0.5
Arithmetic mean LOS (days)7.46.7-0.7
Weights shown are the FY2027 final values after the 10% cap on year-over-year reductions where applicable.

CC and MCC family

DRG 934 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 Or Secondary Diagnosis: 194 ICD-10 codes drive assignment to this group; the first 12 are shown.

Principal Or Secondary Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 934 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
T2030XABurn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter
T20311ABurn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter
T20312ABurn of third degree of left ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter
T20319ABurn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum], initial encounter
T2032XABurn of third degree of lip(s), initial encounter
T2033XABurn of third degree of chin, initial encounter
T2034XABurn of third degree of nose (septum), initial encounter
T2035XABurn of third degree of scalp [any part], initial encounter
T2036XABurn of third degree of forehead and cheek, initial encounter
T2037XABurn of third degree of neck, initial encounter
T2039XABurn of third degree of multiple sites of head, face, and neck, initial encounter
T2070XACorrosion 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.

Operating Room Procedures codes assigned to DRG 934 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
0HR0X72Replacement of Scalp Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Cell Suspension Technique, External Approach
0HR0X73Replacement of Scalp Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach
0HR0X74Replacement of Scalp Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach
0HR0XJ3Replacement of Scalp Skin with Synthetic Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach
0HR0XJ4Replacement of Scalp Skin with Synthetic Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach
0HR0XJZReplacement of Scalp Skin with Synthetic Substitute, External Approach
0HR0XK3Replacement of Scalp Skin with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach
0HR0XK4Replacement of Scalp Skin with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach
0HR1X72Replacement of Face Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Cell Suspension Technique, External Approach
0HR1X73Replacement of Face Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Full Thickness, External Approach
0HR1X74Replacement of Face Skin with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Partial Thickness, External Approach
0HR1XJ3Replacement 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.

Secondary Diagnosis codes assigned to DRG 934 (sample)
ICD-10 codeDescription
J705Respiratory conditions due to smoke inhalation
J951Acute pulmonary insufficiency following thoracic surgery
J952Acute pulmonary insufficiency following nonthoracic surgery
J953Chronic pulmonary insufficiency following surgery
J95821Acute postprocedural respiratory failure
J95822Acute and chronic postprocedural respiratory failure
J9600Acute respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia
J9601Acute respiratory failure with hypoxia
J9602Acute respiratory failure with hypercapnia
J9620Acute and chronic respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia
J9621Acute and chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia
J9622Acute and chronic respiratory failure with hypercapnia

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 934 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 934

What is MS-DRG 934?

MS-DRG 934 is "Full Thickness Burn without Skin Graft or Inhalation Injury", a medical 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 934?

The FY2027 relative weight is 1.9900 (IPPS final rule Table 5, effective October 1, 2026). In FY2026 it was 2.2110, a change of -10.0%.

What is the average length of stay for DRG 934?

CMS reports a geometric mean length of stay of 4.4 days and an arithmetic mean of 6.7 days for FY2027. The geometric mean is used for transfer-payment calculations.

What documentation supports the severity level of DRG 934?

DRG 934 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 934?

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 934 a post-acute transfer DRG?

No. DRG 934 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.