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B00.81 vs B15-B19

B00.81 (Herpesviral hepatitis) compared with B15-B19 (Viral hepatitis (B15-B19)), 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

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because B15-B19 lists B00.81 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.B00.81 is “Herpesviral hepatitis”; B15-B19 is “Viral hepatitis (B15-B19)”. B15-B19 is a non-billable header; B00.81 is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.B15-B19 lists B00.81 under Excludes2: “herpesviral [herpes simplex] hepatitis (B00.81)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.B15-B19’s tabular entry: “herpesviral [herpes simplex] hepatitis (B00.81)”. The note covers B00.81.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.B15-B19 is a non-billable header, but B00.81 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Nothing found in 3 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. B00.81 carries 1 Excludes1 note and B15-B19 carries 1 Excludes1 note 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.

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?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

B15-B19
Viral hepatitis (B15-B19)
↔
B00.81
Herpesviral hepatitis

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.B15-B19 carries an Excludes2 note covering B00.81: “herpesviral [herpes simplex] hepatitis (B00.81)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
B00.81

Herpesviral hepatitis

B15-B19

Viral hepatitis (B15-B19)

StatusDiffers
B00.81
Billable
B15-B19
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Excludes1Differs
B00.81
  • congenital herpesviral infections (P35.2)
B15-B19
  • sequelae of viral hepatitis (B94.2)
Excludes2Differs
B00.81
  • anogenital herpesviral infection (A60.-)
  • gammaherpesviral mononucleosis (B27.0-)
  • herpangina (B08.5)
B15-B19
  • cytomegaloviral hepatitis (B25.1)
  • herpesviral [herpes simplex] hepatitis (B00.81)
CategoryDiffers
B00.81

B00 Herpesviral [herpes simplex] infections

B15-B19

B15 Acute hepatitis A

ChapterSame for both

A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)

No Code first, Use additional code, Code also, Includes 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, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

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