K82 vs R93.2
K82 and R93.2 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 K82
nonvisualization of gallbladder (R93.2)
K82
Other diseases of gallbladder
Not billable
- Chapter 11
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Section
- K80-K87
R93.2
Abnormal findings on diagnostic imaging of liver and biliary tract
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R90-R94
Use when the record says
- Nonvisualization of gallbladder
Indexed under
- Nonvisualization, gallbladder
- Filling defect › biliary tract
- Filling defect › gallbladder
- Findings, abnormal, inconclusive, without diagnosis › gallbladder, nonvisualization
- Findings, abnormal, inconclusive, without diagnosis › nonvisualization of gallbladder
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