N17
Header — not billableAcute kidney failure
The ICD-10 code for acute kidney failure is N17.
N17 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 5 more specific codes below.
Clinical notes
Code also
Two codes may be needed to fully describe a condition, but unlike Code First/Use Additional Code, the sequencing order is not mandated by convention.
- associated underlying condition
Excludes1 (not coded here)
An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).
- posttraumatic renal failure (T79.5)
Documentation support
General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.
- •This is a non-billable header code. Documentation must support a more specific child code before this diagnosis can be reported on a claim.
- •Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
- •As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.
Related codes in this category
- N18Chronic kidney disease (CKD)non-billable header
- N19Unspecified kidney failure
- N17Acute kidney failurenon-billable header