F10 vs F10.9
F10 and F10.9 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 F10.9
alcohol abuse (F10.1-)
F10
Alcohol related disorders
Not billable
- Chapter 5
- Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Section
- F10-F19
F10.9
Alcohol use, unspecified
Not billable
- Chapter 5
- Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Section
- F10-F19
Indexed under
- Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome or psychosis (alcoholic)
- Syndrome › Korsakoff › alcoholic
- Syndrome › Wernicke-Korsakoff › alcoholic
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