R10.0 vs R19
R10.0 and R19 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 R19
acute abdomen (R10.0)
R10.0
Acute abdomen
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R10-R19
Use when the record says
- Severe abdominal pain (generalized) (with abdominal rigidity)
Indexed under
- Abdomen, abdominal › acute
- Acute › abdomen
- Crisis › abdomen
- Syndrome › acute abdominal
- Pain › abdominal › severe with abdominal rigidity (s)
R19
Other symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
Not billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R10-R19
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