During inpatient coding at a county hospital, the Alphabetic Index and Tabular List show an Excludes1 note linking two condition codes the physician documented. What is the correct coding action?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Think of Excludes1 like a “pick one lane” sign—those two diagnoses are not supposed to ride together on the same claim. If the note says they are mutually exclusive, you do not assign both. That is different from Excludes2, which is more of a “not built into this code, but both can still be true” reminder.
Full Explanation
ICD-10-CM Excludes1 notes identify conditions that should not be coded together because they are mutually exclusive or one is included in the other in a way that dual coding is inappropriate. When documentation appears to support both, the coder must resolve which condition truly applies rather than reporting both codes listed under an Excludes1 relationship. Excludes2 notes, by contrast, mean “not included here” and allow both codes when both conditions are present and documented.