Excludes1 pair
K73- vs K75.9
K73 and K75.9 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 K75.9
chronic hepatitis NEC (K73.-)
K73
Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified
Not billable
- Chapter 11
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Section
- K70-K77
K75.9
Inflammatory liver disease, unspecified
BillableUnspecified
- Chapter 11
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Section
- K70-K77
Use when the record says
- Hepatitis NOS
Indexed under
- Hepatitis
- Disease, diseased › liver › inflammatory
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