Excludes1 pair

T31- vs T66-

T31 and T66 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 T66
burns (T20-T31)
T31

Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved

Not billable
Chapter 19
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Section
T30-T32
T66

Radiation sickness, unspecified

Not billable
Chapter 19
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Section
T66-T78
Indexed under
  • Irradiation effects, adverse
  • Effect, adverse › infrared NOS (radiation) (rays)
  • Effect, adverse › radiation NOS (diagnostic) (infrared) (natural source) (therapeutic) (ultraviolet) (X-ray)
  • Effect, adverse › ultraviolet NOS (radiation) (rays)
  • Radiation › effects NOS

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