Q67.5 vs Q76.3
Q67.5 and Q76.3 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 Q67.5
scoliosis due to congenital bony malformation (Q76.3)
Q67.5
Congenital deformity of spine
Billable
- Chapter 17
- Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
- Section
- Q65-Q79
Use when the record says
- Congenital postural scoliosis
- Congenital scoliosis NOS
Indexed under
- Kyphoscoliosis, kyphoscoliotic › congenital (acquired)
- Scoliosis › congenital (acquired) (postural)
- Curvature › spine › congenital
- Deformity › spinal › congenital
- Deformity › spine › congenital
Q76.3
Congenital scoliosis due to congenital bony malformation
Billable
- Chapter 17
- Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
- Section
- Q65-Q79
Use when the record says
- Hemivertebra fusion or failure of segmentation with scoliosis
Indexed under
- Hemivertebra › failure of segmentation with scoliosis
- Hemivertebra › fusion with scoliosis
- Scoliosis › congenital › due to bony malformation (acquired) (postural)
- Scoliosis › congenital › failure of segmentation (acquired) (postural)
- Scoliosis › congenital › hemivertebra fusion (acquired) (postural)
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