Pyoderma gangrenosum
In Other disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L80-L99), chapter 12: Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue
- L88 is billable and valid on claims for FY 2027. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under L80-L99 below.
- As a secondary diagnosis it is a CC (complication or comorbidity), which can raise the MS-DRG payment. It doesn't count when the principal diagnosis is one of 3 closely related codes.
- Counts toward HCC 387 (Pemphigus, Pemphigoid, and Other Specified Autoimmune Skin Disorders) in the Medicare Advantage risk model (CMS-HCC V28).
- AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as not chronic (an acute or short-term condition).
- 30 US deaths in 2024 had an underlying cause in category L88, per the National Vital Statistics System on CDC WONDER. Death records use WHO ICD-10, so the count is for the whole category.
Also indexed as: Phagedena, geometric; Pyoderma, gangrenosum; Pyoderma, phagedenic
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Instructional notes
Includes: conditions that are coded here
- Phagedenic pyoderma
Excludes1: not coded here, use a different code
- dermatitis gangrenosa (L08.0)
Official coding guidelines
From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.
Covers assigning pressure ulcer codes by site and stage, including unstageable, healing, healed, and progressing ulcers, and coding healing or progressing non-pressure chronic ulcers.
- Pressure ulcer stage codes (page 58)
- Non-Pressure Chronic Ulcers (page 60)
Other codes under L80-L99
Other disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L80-L99)
- L80Vitiligo
- L81Other disorders of pigmentation
- L82Seborrheic keratosis
- L83Acanthosis nigricans
- L84Corns and callosities
- L85Other epidermal thickening
- L86Keratoderma in diseases classified elsewhere
- L87Transepidermal elimination disorders
- L88Pyoderma gangrenosum(this code)
- L89Pressure ulcer
- L90Atrophic disorders of skin
- L91Hypertrophic disorders of skin
- L92Granulomatous disorders of skin and subcutaneous tissue
- L93Lupus erythematosus
- L94Other localized connective tissue disorders
- L95Vasculitis limited to skin, not elsewhere classified
- L97Non-pressure chronic ulcer of lower limb, not elsewhere classified
- L98Other disorders of skin and subcutaneous tissue, not elsewhere classified
- L99Other disorders of skin and subcutaneous tissue in diseases classified elsewhere
L88 MS-DRGs
As the principal diagnosis, L88 groups to MS-DRG 602 or 603 (v44.0). Which one applies depends on procedures performed, secondary diagnoses (CC/MCC), and the patient's age and discharge status.
Related conditions
Grouped by AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR), which sorts every diagnosis code into clinically meaningful categories.
L88 is in Other specified inflammatory condition of skin (SKN002, its default category), with 164 codes. Others in it:
- B65.3 Cercarial dermatitis
- E08.620 Diabetes mellitus due to underlying condition with diabetic dermatitis
- E09.620 Drug or chemical induced diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis
- E10.620 Type 1 diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis
- E11.620 Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis
- E13.620 Other specified diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis
- L10.0 Pemphigus vulgaris
- L10.1 Pemphigus vegetans
Medicare coverage articles listing L88
These 4 Medicare billing and coding articles list L88 as a diagnosis that supports medical necessity for the services they cover. From the CMS Medicare Coverage Database; check your own contractor's article before billing.
Other codes that refer to L88
Notes on these codes point to L88.
About the condition
Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.
Skin Conditions
Your skin is your body's largest organ. It covers the entire outside of your body. There are many ways that your skin protects your body and helps keep you healthy. For example, it:
Read more about skin conditions on MedlinePlusCode history
Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. No changes since.
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).
- 686.01 Pyoderma gangrenosum