K14.0 vs K14.4
K14.0 and K14.4 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 K14.0
atrophic glossitis (K14.4)
K14.0
Glossitis
Billable
- Chapter 11
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Section
- K00-K14
Use when the record says
- Abscess of tongue
- Ulceration (traumatic) of tongue
Indexed under
- Fede's disease
- Gingivoglossitis
- Glossitis (chronic superficial) (gangrenous) (Moeller's)
- Moeller's glossitis
- Rigadisease (-Fede)
K14.4
Atrophy of tongue papillae
Billable
- Chapter 11
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Section
- K00-K14
Use when the record says
- Atrophic glossitis
Indexed under
- Bald tongue
- Glazed tongue
- Glossitis › atrophic (chronic superficial) (gangrenous) (Moeller's)
- Glossodynia › exfoliativa
- Papillitis › chronic lingual
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