Excludes1 pair

F06.7- vs G31.9

F06.7 and G31.9 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 F06.7
cerebral degeneration (G31.9)
F06.7

Mild neurocognitive disorder due to known physiological condition

Not billable
Chapter 5
Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders
Section
F01-F09
Use when the record says
  • Mild neurocognitive impairment due to a known physiological condition
G31.9

Degenerative disease of nervous system, unspecified

BillableUnspecified
Chapter 6
Diseases of the nervous system
Section
G30-G32
Indexed under
  • Atrophy, atrophic › brain (cortex) (progressive)
  • Degeneration, degenerative › brain (cortical) (progressive)
  • Degeneration, degenerative › cerebellar NOS
  • Degeneration, degenerative › nervous system
  • Hemiatrophy › cerebellar

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