R19.5 vs R85
R19.5 and R85 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 R85
fecal abnormalities (R19.5)
R19.5
Other fecal abnormalities
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R10-R19
Use when the record says
- Abnormal stool color
- Bulky stools
- Mucus in stools
- Occult blood in feces
- Occult blood in stools
Indexed under
- Abnormal, abnormality, abnormalities › feces
- Abnormal, abnormality, abnormalities › stool
- Blood › occult in feces
- Bulky › stools
- Fat › in stool
R85
Abnormal findings in specimens from digestive organs and abdominal cavity
Not billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R83-R89
Use when the record says
- abnormal findings in peritoneal fluid
- abnormal findings in saliva
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