Excludes1 pair
E34.3- vs E45
E34.3 and E45 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 E34.3
nutritional short stature (E45)
E34.3
Short stature due to endocrine disorder
Not billable
- Chapter 4
- Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
- Section
- E20-E35
E45
Retarded development following protein-calorie malnutrition
Billable
- Chapter 4
- Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
- Section
- E40-E46
Use when the record says
- Nutritional short stature
- Nutritional stunting
- Physical retardation due to malnutrition
Indexed under
- Nutritional stunting
- Stunting, nutritional
- Dwarfism › nutritional
- Dystrophy, dystrophia › due to malnutrition
- Dystrophy, dystrophia › nutritional
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