Excludes1 pair

P95 vs Z37.3

P95 and Z37.3 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 P95
outcome of delivery, stillbirth (Z37.1, Z37.3, Z37.4, Z37.7)
P95

Stillbirth

Billable
Chapter 16
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
Section
P90-P96
Use when the record says
  • Deadborn fetus NOS
  • Fetal death of unspecified cause
  • Stillbirth NOS
Indexed under
  • Stillbirth
Z37.3

Twins, one liveborn and one stillborn

Billable
Chapter 21
Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
Section
Z30-Z39
Indexed under
  • Outcome of delivery › twins NEC › one liveborn, one stillborn

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