Q17.4 vs Q18.2
Q17.4 (Misplaced ear) compared with Q18.2 (Other branchial cleft malformations), 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. Q17.4 carries an Excludes1 note covering Q18.2: “cervical auricle (Q18.2)”
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
| Q17.4Misplaced ear | Q18.2Other branchial cleft malformations | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | Q00-Q99 — Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-Q99) | Q00-Q99 — Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-Q99) |
| Definition | Misplaced ear is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Q17.4). | Other branchial cleft malformations is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Q18.2). |
| Includes | Low-set ears | Branchial cleft malformation NOS Cervical auricle Otocephaly |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources