Excludes1 pair
N15.9 vs N39.0
N15.9 and N39.0 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 N15.9
urinary tract infection NOS (N39.0)
N15.9
Renal tubulo-interstitial disease, unspecified
BillableUnspecified
- Chapter 14
- Diseases of the genitourinary system
- Section
- N10-N16
Use when the record says
- Infection of kidney NOS
Indexed under
- Disease, diseased › tubulo-interstitial
- Infection, infected, infective › kidney (cortex) (hematogenous)
N39.0
Urinary tract infection, site not specified
Billable
- Chapter 14
- Diseases of the genitourinary system
- Section
- N30-N39
Indexed under
- Infection, infected, infective › urinary (tract)
- Urine › pus in
- Pus › in › urine
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