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E70-E88 vs Q79.6

E70-E88 (Metabolic disorders (E70-E88)) compared with Q79.6 (Ehlers-Danlos syndromes), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because E70-E88 lists Q79.6 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and chapter.E70-E88 is “Metabolic disorders (E70-E88)”; Q79.6 is “Ehlers-Danlos syndromes”. E70-E88 sits in E00-E89 — Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (E00-E89); Q79.6 in Q00-QA1 — Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-QA1).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.E70-E88 lists Q79.6 under Excludes2: “Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (Q79.6-)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. E70-E88 carries 5 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.E70-E88’s tabular entry: “Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (Q79.6-)”. The note covers Q79.6.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

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?

Both are headers.Both are non-billable headers, and neither contains the other.

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?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

E70-E88
Metabolic disorders (E70-E88)
↔
Q79.6
Ehlers-Danlos syndromes

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.E70-E88 carries an Excludes2 note covering Q79.6: “Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (Q79.6-)”

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 FY2026

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

E70-E88Metabolic disorders (E70-E88)Q79.6Ehlers-Danlos syndromes
Billing statusNon-billable headerNon-billable header

Report instead: Q79.60, Q79.61, Q79.62, Q79.63, Q79.69

ClassificationE00-E89 — Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (E00-E89)Q00-QA1 — Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-QA1)
DefinitionMetabolic disorders (E70-E88) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (E70-E88).Ehlers-Danlos syndromes is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Q79.6).
Excludes1
androgen insensitivity syndrome (E34.5-)
congenital adrenal hyperplasia (E25.0)
hemolytic anemias attributable to enzyme disorders (D55.-)
Marfan syndrome (Q87.4-)
5-alpha-reductase deficiency (E29.1)
—
Excludes2
Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (Q79.6-)
congenital (sternomastoid) torticollis (Q68.0)

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.

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