K20.9 — Esophagitis, unspecified
Is K20.9 billable?
No — K20.9 is a non-billable header code. K20.9 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 2 billable codes beneath K20.9.
Billable codes under this header
K20.9 at a glance
| Code | K20.9 |
|---|---|
| Description | Esophagitis, unspecified |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from K20
The conditions below can never be reported together with K20.9 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 — inherited from K20
Report an additional code alongside K20.9 to fully describe the condition. K20.9 is sequenced first.
- code to identify:
- alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 11
The conditions below are not part of K20.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20.9 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 K20.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- hiatus hernia (K44.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from K20
The conditions below are not part of K20.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, K20.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- eosinophilic gastritis or gastroenteritis (K52.81)
What codes fall under K20.9? (2)
How long has K20.9 existed?
K20.9 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
- FY2021: K20.9 stopped being billable
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.