FY2027
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Excludes1 pair

Q70- vs Q70.4

Q70 and Q70.4 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 Q70.4
specified syndactyly of hand and feet - code to specified conditions (Q70.0- -Q70.3-)
Q70

Syndactyly

Not billable
Chapter 17
Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
Section
Q65-Q79
Q70.4

Polysyndactyly, unspecified

BillableUnspecified
Chapter 17
Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
Section
Q65-Q79
Indexed under
  • Polysyndactyly

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