N08 vs N16
N08 and N16 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 N08
pyelonephritis in diseases classified elsewhere (N16)
N08
Glomerular disorders in diseases classified elsewhere
Billable
- Chapter 14
- Diseases of the genitourinary system
- Section
- N00-N08
Use when the record says
- Glomerulonephritis
- Nephritis
- Nephropathy
Indexed under
- Nephritis, nephritic › amyloid (albuminuric) (azotemic) (congenital) (disseminated) (epithelial) (familial) (focal) (granulomatous) (hemorrhagic) (infantile) (nonsuppurative, excretory) (uremic)
- Nephropathy › sickle-cell
- Disorder › glomerular › amyloidosis (of)
- Disorder › glomerular › cryoglobulinemia (of)
- Disorder › glomerular › disseminated intravascular coagulation (of)
N16
Renal tubulo-interstitial disorders in diseases classified elsewhere
Billable
- Chapter 14
- Diseases of the genitourinary system
- Section
- N10-N16
Use when the record says
- Pyelonephritis
- Tubulo-interstitial nephritis
Indexed under
- Disorder › tubulo-interstitial › brucellosis (of)
- Disorder › tubulo-interstitial › glycogen storage disease (of)
- Disorder › tubulo-interstitial › leukemia NEC (of)
- Disorder › tubulo-interstitial › lymphoma NEC (of)
- Disorder › tubulo-interstitial › mixed cryoglobulinemia (of)
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