Excludes1 pair
Q79.6- vs Q87.A
Q79.6 and Q87.A 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 Q87.A
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (Q79.6)
Q79.6
Ehlers-Danlos syndromes
Not billable
- Chapter 17
- Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
- Section
- Q65-Q79
Indexed under
- Syndrome › Meekeren-Ehlers-Danlos
Q87.A
Loeys-Dietz syndrome
Billable
- Chapter 17
- Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
- Section
- Q80-Q89
Indexed under
- Syndrome › Loeys-Dietz
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