Excludes1 pair

A06.6 vs G07

A06.6 and G07 are not coded together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note — the two conditions are not expected to occur together, so exactly one of them is normally correct for a given encounter. The Official Guidelines carve out one exception: if the two conditions are clearly unrelated to each other, both may be reported.

The official note, declared on G07
amebic (A06.6)
A06.6

Amebic brain abscess

Billable
Chapter 1
Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
Section
A00-A09
Use when the record says
  • Amebic abscess of brain (and liver) (and lung)
Indexed under
  • Abscess › amebic › brain (and liver or lung abscess)
  • Abscess › brain › amebic (with abscess of any other site)
  • Abscess › liver › amebic › with › brain abscess (and liver or lung abscess)
  • Abscess › lung › amebic › with › brain abscess
G07

Intracranial and intraspinal abscess and granuloma in diseases classified elsewhere

Billable
Chapter 6
Diseases of the nervous system
Section
G00-G09
Indexed under
  • Granuloma › brain › schistosomiasis

These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.

Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027