L00 vs L26
L00 (Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome) compared with L26 (Exfoliative dermatitis), 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. L26 carries an Excludes1 note covering L00: “Ritter's disease (L00)”
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
| L00Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome | L26Exfoliative dermatitis | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | L00-L99 — Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue (L00-L99) | L00-L99 — Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue (L00-L99) |
| Definition | Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (L00). | Exfoliative dermatitis is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (L26). |
| Includes | Ritter's disease | Hebra's pityriasis |
| Use additional code | code to identify percentage of skin exfoliation (L49.-) code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent. | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources