L00 vs L26
L00 and L26 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 L26
Ritter's disease (L00)
L00
Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome
Billable
- Chapter 12
- Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Section
- L00-L08
Use when the record says
- Ritter's disease
Indexed under
- Ritter's disease
- Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome
- Dermatitis › Ritter's (eczematous)
- Disease, diseased › Ritter's
- Syndrome › staphylococcal scalded skin
L26
Exfoliative dermatitis
Billable
- Chapter 12
- Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Section
- L20-L30
Use when the record says
- Hebra's pityriasis
Indexed under
- Dermatitis › exfoliative, exfoliativa (eczematous)
- Dermatosis › exfoliativa
- Hebra's › pityriasis
- Pityriasis › Hebra's (capitis)
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