R40 vs R55
R40 and R55 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 R55
unconsciousness NOS (R40.2-)
R40
Somnolence, stupor and coma
Not billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R40-R46
R55
Syncope and collapse
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R50-R69
Use when the record says
- Blackout
- Fainting
- Vasovagal attack
Indexed under
- Blackout
- Collapse
- Fainting (fit)
- Near-syncope
- Pre-syncope
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