H33 vs H35.2
H33 and H35.2 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 H35.2
proliferative vitreo-retinopathy with retinal detachment (H33.4-)
H35.2
Other non-diabetic proliferative retinopathy
Not billable
- Chapter 7
- Diseases of the eye and adnexa
- Section
- H30-H36
Use when the record says
- Proliferative vitreo-retinopathy
- Thalassemia proliferative retinopathy
Indexed under
- Retinopathy › proliferative NEC (background)
- Retinopathy › proliferative NEC › thalassemia (background)
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