L08.0 vs L88
L08.0 and L88 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 L08.0
pyoderma gangrenosum (L88)
L08.0
Pyoderma
Billable
- Chapter 12
- Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Section
- L00-L08
Use when the record says
- Dermatitis gangrenosa
- Purulent dermatitis
- Septic dermatitis
- Suppurative dermatitis
Indexed under
- Ecthyma
- Pustular rash
- Pyoderma, pyodermia
- Pyodermatitis
- Dermatitis › gangrenosa, gangrenous infantum (eczematous)
L88
Pyoderma gangrenosum
Billable
- Chapter 12
- Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Section
- L80-L99
Use when the record says
- Phagedenic pyoderma
Indexed under
- Phagedena › geometric (dry) (moist) (sloughing)
- Pyoderma, pyodermia › gangrenosum
- Pyoderma, pyodermia › phagedenic
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