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F78 ICD-10-CM Code: Other intellectual disabilities

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes1 · 1 code-first instruction

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for F78 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Notes without a marker are published on F78 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from F70-F79

Code First

Underlying conditions that must be sequenced before this code.

  • any associated physical or developmental disorders

Source: inherited from F70-F79

Coder workflow for F78

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code F78

  1. F78 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewF78.A

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. “Other” (NEC) means the condition is specified in the record but no dedicated code captures it. Confirm the documented form is not one a sibling code names before settling on F78; if the record states no specifics at all, the unspecified sibling applies instead. “Other” codes are for documented conditions the classification gives no specific code; “unspecified” codes are for records lacking the detail (Guidelines I.A.9.a, I.A.9.b).

    See the relationships section · Guide: Other vs unspecified (NEC vs NOS) →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with F78. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath F78?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → F78 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewF78.A

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in F78’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewR41.83

  3. Is the underlying (etiologic) condition the Code First note names documented?
    Yes → Sequence the underlying condition first, then F78.
    No → Continue; do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

Consider F78. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
The underlying (etiologic) condition
Named in the Code First note; sequenced before this code when documented (Guidelines I.A.13).
Any detail beyond this code’s title
What the record states that a more specific sibling code would capture — or its absence, which itself supports the unspecified code.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting F78(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with F78: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareR41.83

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Code First — sequencing check(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the underlying or etiologic condition the note names is documented. When it is, sequence it before F78. Do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: Both the condition F78 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewR41.83

Documentation: The underlying condition the Code First note names is documented alongside this condition.

Coding question: How are the two sequenced?

Path: Review the Code First note.

Reason: The underlying condition is sequenced first and the manifestation follows (Guidelines I.A.13).

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Other intellectual disabilities is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (F78). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: F78.A1, F78.A9.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name F78 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 1 Excludes1 note: R41.83 — Borderline intellectual functioning.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 4 Excludes2 notes: F80.0 — Phonological disorder, F80.1 — Expressive language disorder, F80.2 — Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, F82 — Specific developmental disorder of motor function.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: Z91.83 — Wandering in diseases classified elsewhere.

Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.

Referenced by 5 Use Additional Code instructions across 2 chapters: E00 — Congenital iodine-deficiency syndrome, Q87.87 — Hao-Fountain Syndrome, Q87.88 — CTNNB1 syndrome, Q90 — Down syndrome, Q93.52 — Phelan-McDermid syndrome.

These codes instruct coders to additionally report this code when it applies.

Referenced by 4 Code Also instructions across 4 chapters: G93.45 — Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, Q87.85 — MED13L syndrome, QA0 — Neurodevelopmental disorders related to specific genetic pathogenic variants, Z15.1 — Genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders.

These codes suggest coding this condition alongside when both are present.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):MBD014 — Neurodevelopmental disorders (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Neurodevelopmental disorders).

F70 — Mild intellectual disabilities, F71 — Moderate intellectual disabilities, F72 — Severe intellectual disabilities, F73 — Profound intellectual disabilities, F78.A1 — SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability, F78.A9 — Other genetic related intellectual disability, F79 — Unspecified intellectual disabilities, F80.0 — Phonological disorder, F80.1 — Expressive language disorder, F80.2 — Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, F80.4 — Speech and language development delay due to hearing loss, F80.81 — Childhood onset fluency disorder, F80.82 — Social pragmatic communication disorder, F80.89 — Other developmental disorders of speech and language, F80.9 — Developmental disorder of speech and language, unspecified, F81.0 — Specific reading disorder, F81.2 — Mathematics disorder, F81.81 — Disorder of written expression, F81.89 — Other developmental disorders of scholastic skills, F81.9 — Developmental disorder of scholastic skills, unspecified, +24 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of F78 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run F78 with these 15 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Referenced by Code First instructions

Referenced by Use Additional Code instructions

  • E00 — Congenital iodine-deficiency syndrome[Use Additional Code]: “code (F70-F79) to identify associated intellectual disabilities.”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Q87.87 — Hao-Fountain Syndrome[Use Additional Code]: “intellectual disabilities (F70-F79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Q87.88 — CTNNB1 syndrome[Use Additional Code]: “intellectual disability (F70-F79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Q90 — Down syndrome[Use Additional Code]: “code(s) to identify any associated degree of intellectual disabilities (F70-F79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Q93.52 — Phelan-McDermid syndrome[Use Additional Code]: “degree of intellectual disabilities (F70-F79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026

Referenced by Code Also instructions

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Nearest codes

Change history (2)

Common coding questions

Can F78 be billed directly?

No. F78 (Other intellectual disabilities) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2022 — October 1, 2021
    Became a non-billable header
    FY2022 changes
  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Other intellectual disabilities

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to F78 in its code family, with their registry titles.