Skip to main content

H40.50X1 vs H44.51

H40.50X1 (Glaucoma secondary to other eye disorders, unspecified eye, mild stage) compared with H44.51 (Absolute glaucoma), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. H40.50X1 carries an Excludes1 note covering H44.51: “absolute glaucoma (H44.51-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

H40.50X1Glaucoma secondary to other eye disorders, unspecified eye, mild stageH44.51Absolute glaucoma
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: H44.511, H44.512, H44.513, H44.519

ClassificationH00-H59 — Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa (H00-H59)H00-H59 — Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa (H00-H59)
DefinitionGlaucoma secondary to other eye disorders, unspecified eye, mild stage is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H40.501).Absolute glaucoma is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H44.51).
7th characterOne of the following 7th characters is to be assigned to each code in subcategory H40.5 to designate the stage of glaucoma
Includes
disorders affecting multiple structures of eye

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources