A15 vs A18.6
A15 (Respiratory tuberculosis) compared with A18.6 (Tuberculosis of (inner) (middle) ear), from the official CMS tabular data.
Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources
Summary
No coding relationship between these codes was found in the tabular notes or in MedCoder’s derived relationships.
- What is different?
The conditions named and billing status.A15 is “Respiratory tuberculosis”; A18.6 is “Tuberculosis of (inner) (middle) ear”. A15 is a non-billable header; A18.6 is billable.
Registry fact
- Can these codes be reported together?
No instruction prevents it.No note in either entry names the other, and no derived relationship links them. Each may be reported when its own documentation requirements are met.
Registry fact
- Is there an Excludes1 relationship?
None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. A15 carries 7 Excludes1 notes and A18.6 carries 7 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.
Official rule
- Is there an Excludes2 relationship?
None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. A18.6 carries 2 Excludes2 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.
Official rule
- Is one more specific?
Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.
- Is one a parent or header code?
One is a header.A15 is a non-billable header, but A18.6 is not one of its subdivisions.
Registry fact
- Are there sequencing instructions?
None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.
Official rule
- Are there other coding relationships?
None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.
MedCoder-derived
Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels
Can these codes be reported together?
Yes.
No Excludes1/Excludes2 relationship exists between these codes in the official tabular list. Each may be reported when its own documentation requirements are met.
Side by side
Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.
Respiratory tuberculosis
Tuberculosis of (inner) (middle) ear
- congenital tuberculosis (P37.0)
- nonspecific reaction to test for tuberculosis without active tuberculosis (R76.1-)
- pneumoconiosis associated with tuberculosis, any type in A15 (J65)
- positive PPD (R76.11)
- positive tuberculin skin test without active tuberculosis (R76.11)
- sequelae of tuberculosis (B90.-)
- silicotuberculosis (J65)
None at this code
- tuberculosis of external ear (A18.4)
- tuberculous mastoiditis (A18.03)
- code, if applicable, for associated cachexia (E88.A)
A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)
- infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis
- infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis
- Tuberculous otitis media
No Code first, Code also and 7th character note at either code.
Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, notes every code shares are dimmed.
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources