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L22 vs L23.8

L22 (Diaper dermatitis) compared with L23.8 (Allergic contact dermatitis due to other agents), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because L23.8 lists L22 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.L22 is “Diaper dermatitis”; L23.8 is “Allergic contact dermatitis due to other agents”. L23.8 is a non-billable header; L22 is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.L23.8 lists L22 under Excludes2: “diaper dermatitis (L22)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.L23.8’s tabular entry: “diaper dermatitis (L22)”. The note covers L22.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.L23.8 is a non-billable header, but L22 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Nothing found in 3 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. L23.8 carries 3 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

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

L23.8
Allergic contact dermatitis due to other agents
↔
L22
Diaper dermatitis

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.L23.8 carries an Excludes2 note covering L22: “diaper dermatitis (L22)”

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 FY2027

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

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
L22

Diaper dermatitis

L23.8

Allergic contact dermatitis due to other agents

StatusDiffers
L22
Billable
L23.8
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: L23.81, L23.89

Excludes1Differs
L22

None at this code

L23.8
  • allergy NOS (T78.40)
  • contact dermatitis NOS (L25.9)
  • dermatitis NOS (L30.9)
Excludes2Differs
Only at L22

No note of its own beyond the shared notes

Only at L23.8
  • dermatitis due to substances taken internally (L27.-)
  • dermatitis of eyelid (H01.1-)
  • diaper dermatitis (L22)
  • eczema of external ear (H60.5-)
  • irritant contact dermatitis (L24.-)
Shared by both codes (8 notes)
  • chronic (childhood) granulomatous disease (D71-)
  • dermatitis gangrenosa (L08.0)
  • dermatitis herpetiformis (L13.0)
  • dry skin dermatitis (L85.3)
  • factitial dermatitis (L98.1)
  • perioral dermatitis (L71.0)
  • radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)
  • stasis dermatitis (I87.2)
CategoryDiffers
L22

Is itself a category

L23.8

L23 Allergic contact dermatitis

ChapterSame for both

L00-L99 — Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue (L00-L99)

IncludesDiffers
L22
  • Diaper erythema
  • Diaper rash
  • Psoriasiform diaper rash
L23.8

None at this code

No Code first, Use additional code, Code also and 7th character note at either code.

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. In a row that differs, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

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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