R85 vs R88.0
R85 and R88.0 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
cloudy peritoneal dialysis effluent (R88.0)
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
R88.0
Cloudy (hemodialysis) (peritoneal) dialysis effluent
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R83-R89
Indexed under
- Findings, abnormal, inconclusive, without diagnosis › cloudy › dialysis effluent
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