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L97

Non-Billable (Header)

Non-pressure chronic ulcer of lower limb, not elsewhere classified

Last updated: FY2026 ICD-10-CM (Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026) | CMS-HCC V28 (100% phase-in, PY2026)

What This Code Means

L97 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for non-pressure chronic ulcer of lower limb, not elsewhere classified. L97 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (l00-l99), within the section covering other disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (l80-l99).

Header codes like L97 cannot be reported on claims directly — they organize child codes that share clinical context but the actual diagnosis must be coded to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation. Coders should look at L97's child codes and select the one that matches the patient's documented presentation, since payers reject header codes submitted as the primary diagnosis. For risk adjustment workflows, header codes never contribute to a Medicare Advantage member's RAF score on their own; only billable child codes that happen to map to a payment HCC affect risk-adjusted plan payments.

HCC Buddy maintains structured V28 and V24 mapping, RAF weights, and MEAT documentation criteria for L97 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Includes

  • chronic ulcer of skin of lower limb NOS
  • non-healing ulcer of skin
  • non-infected sinus of skin
  • trophic ulcer NOS
  • tropical ulcer NOS
  • ulcer of skin of lower limb NOS

Excludes 2 — Not included here, may code separately

  • pressure ulcer (pressure area) (L89.-)
  • skin infections (L00-L08)
  • specific infections classified to A00-B99

Code First

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

L97Non-pressure chronic ulcer of lower limb, not elsewhere classified
L97Non-pressure chronic ulcer of lower limb, not elsewhere classified

More on L97

Referenced in blog posts

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