Skip to main content

N72 vs O86

N72 (Inflammatory disease of cervix uteri) compared with O86 (Other puerperal infections), 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 should not be reported together because N72’s tabular entry lists O86 under Excludes1.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named, billing status and chapter.N72 is “Inflammatory disease of cervix uteri”; O86 is “Other puerperal infections”. O86 is a non-billable header; N72 is billable. N72 sits in N00-N99 — Diseases of the Genitourinary System (N00-N99); O86 in O00-O9A — Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium (O00-O9A).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

No.N72’s entry carries an Excludes1 note covering O86: “pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O23.-, O75.3, O85, O86.-)”. Both may be reported only when the documentation shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

Yes.N72’s tabular entry: “pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O23.-, O75.3, O85, O86.-)”. The note covers O86.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.O86 is a non-billable header, but N72 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Nothing found in 3 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. O86 carries 4 Excludes2 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?

Excludes1 — generally not reported together

Excludes1 conflict

N72
Inflammatory disease of cervix uteri
↔
O86
Other puerperal infections

What we found

No — do not report together.N72 carries an Excludes1 note covering O86: “pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O23.-, O75.3, O85, O86.-)”

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

What to review

Report one of the two. Both may be reported only when the documentation shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes1 note means the two conditions are not ordinarily reported together for the same encounter, because the classification treats them as mutually exclusive forms of the same condition. The documented exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.a — Excludes1 · applies to: Excludes1

    A type 1 Excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means “NOT CODED HERE!” An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition. An exception to the Excludes1 definition is the circumstance when the two conditions are unrelated to each other. If it is not clear whether the two conditions involving an Excludes1 note are related or not, query the provider. For example, code F45.8, Other somatoform disorders, has an Excludes1 note for "sleep related teeth grinding (G47.63)," because "teeth grinding" is an inclusion term under F45.8. Only one of these two codes should be assigned for teeth grinding. However psychogenic dysmenorrhea is also an inclusion term under F45.8, and a patient could have both this condition and sleep related teeth grinding. In this case, the two conditions are clearly unrelated to each other, and so it would be appropriate to report F45.8 and G47.63 together.

    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
N72

Inflammatory disease of cervix uteri

O86

Other puerperal infections

StatusDiffers
N72
Billable
O86
Non-billable header

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

Report instead: O86.00, O86.01, O86.02, O86.03, O86.04

Excludes1Differs
N72
  • erosion and ectropion of cervix without cervicitis (N86)
  • inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs complicating:
  • abortion or ectopic or molar pregnancy (O00-O07, O08.0)
  • pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O23.-, O75.3, O85, O86.-)
O86

None at this code

Excludes2Differs
N72

None at this code

O86
  • infection during labor (O75.3)
  • obstetrical tetanus (A34)
  • mental and behavioral disorders associated with the puerperium (F53.-)
  • puerperal osteomalacia (M83.0)
Use additional codeSame for both
  • code (B95-B97), to identify infectious agent
Code alsoDiffers
N72
  • , if applicable, pelvic abscess (K6A.0-)
O86

None at this code

CategorySame for both

Is itself a category

ChapterDiffers
N72

N00-N99 — Diseases of the Genitourinary System (N00-N99)

O86

O00-O9A — Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium (O00-O9A)

IncludesDiffers
N72
  • cervicitis (with or without erosion or ectropion)
  • endocervicitis (with or without erosion or ectropion)
  • exocervicitis (with or without erosion or ectropion)
O86

None at this code

No Code first 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.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

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