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N11.1 vs N13

N11.1 (Chronic obstructive pyelonephritis) compared with N13 (Obstructive and reflux uropathy), 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. N11.1 carries an Excludes1 note covering N13: “obstructive uropathy (N13.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Yes, when both are documented. N13 carries an Excludes2 note covering N11.1: “obstructive pyelonephritis (N11.1)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

Side by side

N11.1Chronic obstructive pyelonephritisN13Obstructive and reflux uropathy
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: N13.0, N13.1, N13.2, N13.30, N13.39

ClassificationN00-N99 — Diseases of the Genitourinary System (N00-N99)N00-N99 — Diseases of the Genitourinary System (N00-N99)
DefinitionChronic obstructive pyelonephritis is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (N11.1).Obstructive and reflux uropathy is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (N13).
Includes
chronic infectious interstitial nephritis
chronic pyelitis
chronic pyelonephritis
pyelonephritis
pyelonephritis
Use additional code
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