N87 vs R87.7
N87 and R87.7 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 R87.7
dysplasia (mild) (moderate) of cervix uteri (histologically confirmed) (N87.-)
N87
Dysplasia of cervix uteri
Not billable
- Chapter 14
- Diseases of the genitourinary system
- Section
- N80-N98
R87.7
Abnormal histological findings in specimens from female genital organs
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R83-R89
Indexed under
- Abnormal, abnormality, abnormalities › specimen › female genital organs › histological
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