In the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), “Excludes1” and “Excludes2” are notes used to clarify the relationship between two codes.
“Excludes1” notes indicate that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the “Excludes1” note. In other words, the conditions represented by the two codes cannot occur together. For example, if there is an “Excludes1” note between code A and code B, it means that a patient cannot have both conditions A and B at the same time.
On the other hand, “Excludes2” notes indicate that the excluded code may be used alongside the code above the note, as long as the two conditions are not related. In other words, there may be some situations where both codes can be used together, but it is important to make sure that they are unrelated conditions.
It is important to note that “Excludes1” and “Excludes2” notes are used to clarify the relationship between codes and are not used to prevent the use of multiple codes on the same patient encounter. Clinicians should use their professional judgment to determine which codes are appropriate based on the patient’s condition and the reason for the encounter.