Excludes1 pair
G00- vs G04.2
G00 and G04.2 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 G00
bacterial meningoencephalitis (G04.2)
G00
Bacterial meningitis, not elsewhere classified
Not billable
- Chapter 6
- Diseases of the nervous system
- Section
- G00-G09
Use when the record says
- bacterial arachnoiditis
- bacterial leptomeningitis
- bacterial meningitis
- bacterial pachymeningitis
G04.2
Bacterial meningoencephalitis and meningomyelitis, not elsewhere classified
BillableUnspecified
- Chapter 6
- Diseases of the nervous system
- Section
- G00-G09
Indexed under
- Meningoencephalitis › bacterial NEC
- Meningoencephalitis › pneumococcal
- Meningoencephalitis › staphylococcal
- Meningoencephalitis › streptococcal
- Meningomyelitis › bacterial NEC
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