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I85.1 ICD-10-CM Code: Secondary esophageal varices

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Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
4 inclusion terms · 2 use-additional codes · 1 code-first instruction

Not billable · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too; the Instructions section marks which is which.

Code firstSequence the underlying condition before this code
  • underlying disease
Use additional codeReport with this code when documented
  • code to identify:
  • alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
IncludesWhat this code covers
  • Esophageal varices secondary to alcoholic liver disease
  • Esophageal varices secondary to cirrhosis of liver
  • Esophageal varices secondary to schistosomiasis
  • Esophageal varices secondary to toxic liver disease

Most relevant related codes MedCoder-derived

Read off the official notes above and this code’s own position in the tabular list. Which to report is a documentation question; Compare shows the two side by side.

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for I85.1 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on I85.1 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • Esophageal varices secondary to alcoholic liver disease
  • Esophageal varices secondary to cirrhosis of liver
  • Esophageal varices secondary to schistosomiasis
  • Esophageal varices secondary to toxic liver disease

Code First

Underlying conditions that must be sequenced before this code.

  • underlying disease

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code to identify:
  • alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)

Source: inherited from I85

Coder workflow for I85.1

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

Before you code I85.1

  1. I85.1 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).

    ReviewI85.10, I85.11

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

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath I85.1?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → I85.1 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewI85.10, I85.11

  2. Is the underlying (etiologic) condition the Code First note names documented?
    Yes → Sequence the underlying condition first, then I85.1.
    No → Continue; do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

Consider I85.1. Then work the Use Additional Code note, and 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).
The conditions the Use Additional Code note names
Reported with this code when documented; a conditional instruction (“if applicable”, “if known”) applies only when the record supports it.

Official instructions as workflow

  • 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 I85.1. Do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

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

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying I85.1(2 notes)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with I85.1 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

    ReviewF10

    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: 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).

Documentation: A condition the Use Additional Code note names is documented.

Coding question: Is a second code reported with I85.1?

Path: Review the Use Additional Code note and the code it names.

Reason: The additional code is reported when the record documents the condition; a conditional instruction applies only when its condition is met (Guidelines I.A.13).

ReviewF10

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.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Secondary esophageal varices is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (I85.1). 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: I85.10, I85.11.

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-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name I85.1 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 Excludes2 note: K22 — Other diseases of esophagus (via I85.-).

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

Contextual Map

Every relationship of I85.1 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 I85.1 with this related code in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Nearest codes

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can I85.1 be billed directly?

No. I85.1 (Secondary esophageal varices) 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 FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 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-derived 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 editorial 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.

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 20, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "I85.1 — Secondary esophageal varices." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/i85.1-secondary-esophageal-varices

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Secondary esophageal varices

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to I85.1 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the I85 family