Cachexia
In General symptoms and signs (R50-R69), chapter 18: Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings
- R64 is billable and valid on claims for FY 2027. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under R50-R69 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 40 closely related codes.
- Doesn't count toward a Medicare Advantage risk score (no HCC in V28; it was HCC 21 in V24).
- AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as chronic: expected to last 12 months or longer and to limit daily life or need ongoing care.
- 213 US deaths in 2024 had an underlying cause in category R64, 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: Cachexia; Cachexia, cancerous; Cachexia, malignant; Cachexia, pulmonary; Emaciation; Inanition
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Instructional notes
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 when to report symptom, sign, and abnormal finding codes (R00-R99), plus specific rules for falls, coma scales, non-infectious SIRS, death NOS, and NIHSS scores.
- Use of symptom codes (page 75)
- Use of a symptom code with a definitive diagnosis code (page 75)
- Combination codes that include symptoms (page 75)
- Repeated falls (page 76)
- Coma (page 76)
- Functional quadriplegia (page 76)
- SIRS due to Non-Infectious Process (page 77)
- Death NOS (page 77)
Other codes under R50-R69
General symptoms and signs (R50-R69)
- R50Fever of other and unknown origin
- R51Headache
- R52Pain, unspecified
- R53Malaise and fatigue
- R54Age-related physical debility
- R55Syncope and collapse
- R56Convulsions, not elsewhere classified
- R57Shock, not elsewhere classified
- R58Hemorrhage, not elsewhere classified
- R59Enlarged lymph nodes
- R60Edema, not elsewhere classified
- R61Generalized hyperhidrosis
- R62Lack of expected normal physiological development in childhood and adults
- R63Symptoms and signs concerning food and fluid intake
- R64Cachexia(this code)
- R65Symptoms and signs specifically associated with systemic inflammation and infection
- R68Other general symptoms and signs
- R69Illness, unspecified
R64 MS-DRGs
As the principal diagnosis, R64 groups to MS-DRG 947 or 948 (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.
R64 is in Other general signs and symptoms (SYM016, its default category), with 58 codes. Others in it:
Medicare coverage articles listing R64
These 5 Medicare billing and coding articles list R64 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.
About the condition
Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition means that your body isn't getting enough calories or the right balance of nutrients to stay healthy. This can happen if you don't get enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats, eat too much unhealthy food, or don't get the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Read more about malnutrition on MedlinePlusCode history
Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015.
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).
- 799.4 Cachexia