K70.11 vs R18
K70.11 (Alcoholic hepatitis with ascites) compared with R18 (Ascites), 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. R18 carries an Excludes1 note covering K70.11: “ascites in alcoholic hepatitis (K70.11)”
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
| K70.11Alcoholic hepatitis with ascites | R18Ascites | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Non-billable header |
| Classification | K00-K95 — Diseases of the Digestive System (K00-K95) | R00-R99 — Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings, Not Elsewhere Classified (R00-R99) |
| Definition | Alcoholic hepatitis with ascites is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (K70.11). | Ascites is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (R18). |
| Includes | — | fluid in peritoneal cavity |
| Use additional code | code to identify: alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-) | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources