E42 — Marasmic kwashiorkor
E42 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for marasmic kwashiorkor. It is valid for submission on a claim.
Inclusion terms
Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.
- Intermediate form severe protein-calorie malnutrition
- Severe protein-calorie malnutrition with signs of both kwashiorkor and marasmus
Other codes that can never be billed with E42
These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at E42. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading E42 alone.
Risk adjustment
E42 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.
Medicare coverage
E42 is named in 3 Medicare coverage policies — 3 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.
- A57189Billing and Coding: Serum Magnesium
- A57755Billing and Coding: Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> Injections
- A59186Billing and Coding: Magnesium
How E42 is indexed
Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to E42.
- Kwashiorkor›marasmic, marasmus type
- Malnutrition›severe›intermediate form
- Deficiency, deficient›calorie, severe›with marasmus›and kwashiorkor
- Malnutrition›degree›severe›intermediate form
- Malnutrition›protein›calorie›severe›intermediate form
- Malnutrition›protein›energy›severe›intermediate form
- Malnutrition›severe›intermediate form›with›kwashiorkor(and marasmus)
- Malnutrition›severe›with›kwashiorkor›with marasmus
- Malnutrition›degree›severe›intermediate form›with›kwashiorkor
- Malnutrition›protein›calorie›severe›intermediate form›with›kwashiorkor(and marasmus)
- Malnutrition›protein›energy›severe›intermediate form›with›kwashiorkor(and marasmus)
Questions about E42
- Is E42 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- Yes. E42 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
- Where does E42 sit in the tabular list?
- Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E89), in the block Malnutrition (E40-E46).