K65 vs K68

K65 (Peritonitis) compared with K68 (Disorders of retroperitoneum), 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. K65 carries an Excludes1 note covering K68: “retroperitoneal infections (K68.-)”

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

	K65Peritonitis	K68Disorders of retroperitoneum
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: K65.0, K65.1, K65.2, K65.3, K65.4	Non-billable header Report instead: K68.11, K68.12, K68.19, K68.2, K68.3
Classification	K00-K95 — Diseases of the Digestive System (K00-K95)	K00-K95 — Diseases of the Digestive System (K00-K95)
Definition	Peritonitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (K65).	Disorders of retroperitoneum is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (K68).
Use additional code	code (B95-B97), to identify infectious agent, if known	—

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