Excludes1 pair
R85- vs R88.0
R85 and R88.0 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 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