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I70.218 vs I75

I70.218 (Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, other extremity) compared with I75 (Atheroembolism), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because I70.218 lists I75 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.I70.218 is “Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, other extremity”; I75 is “Atheroembolism”. I75 is a non-billable header; I70.218 is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.I70.218 lists I75 under Excludes2: “atheroembolism (I75.-)”. 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.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.I70.218’s tabular entry: “atheroembolism (I75.-)”. The note covers I75.

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?

One is a header.I75 is a non-billable header, but I70.218 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?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

I70.218
Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, other extremity
↔
I75
Atheroembolism

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.I70.218 carries an Excludes2 note covering I75: “atheroembolism (I75.-)”

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

I70.218Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, other extremityI75Atheroembolism
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: I75.011, I75.012, I75.013, I75.019, I75.021

ClassificationI00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99)I00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99)
DefinitionAtherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication, other extremity is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (I70.218).Atheroembolism is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (I75).
Includes
arteriolosclerosis
arterial degeneration
arteriosclerosis
arteriosclerotic vascular disease
atherothrombotic microembolism
cholesterol embolism
Excludes2
atherosclerosis of bypass graft of extremities (I70.30-I70.79)
arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (I25.1-)
arteriosclerotic heart disease (I25.1-)
atheroembolism (I75.-)
cerebral atherosclerosis (I67.2)
coronary atherosclerosis (I25.1-)
mesenteric atherosclerosis (K55.1)
precerebral atherosclerosis (I67.2)
primary pulmonary atherosclerosis (I27.0)
—
Use additional code
code, if applicable, to identify chronic total occlusion of artery of extremity (I70.92)
code to identify:
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
—

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