A15.6 vs A15.7
A15.6 and A15.7 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
The official note, declared on A15.6
primary respiratory tuberculosis (A15.7)
A15.6
Tuberculous pleurisy
Billable
- Chapter 1
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
- Section
- A15-A19
Use when the record says
- Tuberculosis of pleura Tuberculous empyema
Indexed under
- Empyema › tuberculous (acute) (chest) (double) (pleura) (supradiaphragmatic) (thorax)
- Hemothorax › tuberculous NEC (bacterial) (nontuberculous)
- Hydropneumothorax › tuberculous NEC
- Hydrothorax › tuberculous NEC (double) (pleura)
- Pleurisy › tuberculous (acute) (adhesive) (chronic) (costal) (diaphragmatic) (double) (dry) (fibrinous) (fibrous) (interlobar) (latent) (plastic) (primary) (residual) (sicca) (sterile) (subacute) (unresolved)
A15.7
Primary respiratory tuberculosis
Billable
- Chapter 1
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
- Section
- A15-A19
Indexed under
- Epituberculosis (with atelectasis) (allergic)
- Ghon tubercle, primary infection
- Complex › primary, tuberculous
- Infection, infected, infective › Ghon tubercle, primary (opportunistic)
- Tubercle › Ghon, primary infection
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