J38.7 vs M12
J38.7 and M12 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 M12
cricoarytenoid arthropathy (J38.7)
J38.7
Other diseases of larynx
Billable
- Chapter 10
- Diseases of the respiratory system
- Section
- J30-J39
Use when the record says
- Abscess of larynx
- Cellulitis of larynx
- Disease of larynx NOS
- Necrosis of larynx
- Pachyderma of larynx
- Perichondritis of larynx
- Ulcer of larynx
Indexed under
- Laryngofissure
- Laryngoptosis
- Abscess › epiglottis (connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
- Abscess › larynx (connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
- Abscess › postlaryngeal (connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
M12
Other and unspecified arthropathy
Not billable
- Chapter 13
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
- Section
- M05-M14
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