FY2027
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Excludes1 pair

P76.0 vs Q41-

P76.0 and Q41 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 Q41
meconium ileus NOS (without cystic fibrosis) (P76.0)
P76.0

Meconium plug syndrome

Billable
Chapter 16
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
Section
P76-P78
Use when the record says
  • Meconium ileus NOS
Indexed under
  • Delay, delayed › passage of meconium (newborn)
  • Ileus › meconium
  • Meconium › ileus, newborn
  • Meconium › obstruction, newborn
  • Meconium › plug syndrome NEC (newborn)
Q41

Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of small intestine

Not billable
Chapter 17
Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
Section
Q38-Q45
Use when the record says
  • congenital obstruction, occlusion or stricture of small intestine or intestine NOS

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