K20 — Esophagitis
Is K20 billable?
No — K20 is a non-billable header code. K20 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 5 billable codes beneath K20.
K20 at a glance
| Code | K20 |
|---|---|
| Description | Esophagitis |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with K20 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Use additional code
Report an additional code alongside K20 to fully describe the condition. K20 is sequenced first.
- code to identify:
- alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
Excludes2 — not included here
The conditions below are not part of K20, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- eosinophilic gastritis or gastroenteritis (K52.81)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K20, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from K20-K31
The conditions below are not part of K20, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- hiatus hernia (K44.-)
What codes fall under K20? (3)
How long has K20 existed?
K20 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.