A18.4 vs L52
A18.4 and L52 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.
Tuberculosis of skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Chapter 1
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
- Section
- A15-A19
- Erythema induratum, tuberculous
- Lupus exedens
- Lupus vulgaris NOS
- Lupus vulgaris of eyelid
- Scrofuloderma
- Tuberculosis of external ear
- Acnitis (primary)
- Bazin's disease (primary) (tuberculous)
- Lichenoides tuberculosis (primary)
- Scrofulide (primary) (tuberculous)
- Scrofuloderma, scrofulodermia (any site) (primary)
Erythema nodosum
- Chapter 12
- Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Section
- L49-L54
- Dermatitis › contusiformis
- Erythema, erythematous › induratum (nontuberculous)
- Erythema, erythematous › nodosum
- Arthritis, arthritic › due to or associated with › erythema › nodosum
- Arthritis, arthritic › in › erythema › nodosum
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