Excludes1 pair

K56.0 vs K56.7

K56.0 and K56.7 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 K56.0
ileus NOS (K56.7)
K56.0

Paralytic ileus

Billable
Chapter 11
Diseases of the digestive system
Section
K55-K64
Use when the record says
  • Paralysis of bowel
  • Paralysis of colon
  • Paralysis of intestine
Indexed under
  • Ileus › adynamic
  • Ileus › neurogenic
  • Ileus › paralytic
  • Paralysis, paralytic › bowel, colon or intestine
  • Paralysis, paralytic › colon
K56.7

Ileus, unspecified

BillableUnspecified
Chapter 11
Diseases of the digestive system
Section
K55-K64
Indexed under
  • Ileus (bowel) (colon) (inhibitory) (intestine)

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