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K6A.0 ICD-10-CM Code: Pelvic abscess

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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
2 Excludes2 · 1 use-additional code · 3 code-also instructions

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.

Use additional codeReport with this code when documented
  • code (B95-B97), to identify infectious agent, if known
Code alsoMay be needed with this code
  • , if applicable:
  • diverticular disease of intestine (K57.-)
  • female pelvic inflammatory disease (N73.-)
Excludes2Not included here; may be reported together
  • peritoneal abscess (K65.1)
  • retroperitoneal abscess (K68.1-)

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 K6A.0 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

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Code Also

Additional codes that may be required to fully describe the encounter.

  • Code also, if applicable:
  • diverticular disease of intestine (K57.-)
  • female pelvic inflammatory disease (N73.-)

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code (B95-B97), to identify infectious agent, if known

Coder workflow for K6A.0

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

Before you code K6A.0

  1. K6A.0 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).

    ReviewK6A.01, K6A.09

    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 K6A.0?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → K6A.0 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewK6A.01, K6A.09

Consider K6A.0. Then work the Use Additional Code note and review the Code Also 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 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

  • Excludes2 — not part of K6A.0(2 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in K6A.0. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareK65.1, K68.1

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

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying K6A.0(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with K6A.0 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

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

  • Code Also — related condition(3 notes)

    Coding workflow: Review the related condition when both are documented and the instruction applies. A Code Also note does not fix sequencing; the order follows the circumstances of the encounter.

    ReviewK57, N73

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.17

Coding decision scenarios

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

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

Coding question: Is a second code reported with K6A.0?

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).

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.

Don’t confuse K6A.0 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of K6A.0 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • K65.1— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of peritoneal abscess adds K65.1; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: K6A.0 vs K65.1 →

  • K68.1— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of retroperitoneal abscess adds K68.1; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: K6A.0 vs K68.1 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

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

Pelvic abscess is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (K6A.0). 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.

Decision Points

The directives on this code's own record, as a pre-claim checklist.

  1. 1 Use Additional Code instruction — report the named additional code(s) when the documentation supports them. See the Use Additional Code notes
  2. 3 Code Also notes — a second code may apply; the guidelines leave its sequencing to the circumstances of the encounter. See the Code Also notes
  3. 2 Excludes2 entries — those conditions are not part of this code and may be reported additionally when documented. See the Excludes2 notes

Checklist rows are derived from this code's own official directives; the wording of each check is MedCoder editorial. The official notes themselves are in the sections each row links to.

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: K6A.01, K6A.09.

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 K6A.0 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: K65.1 — Peritoneal abscess.

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

Referenced by 10 Code Also instructions across 2 chapters: K57 — Diverticular disease of intestine, N70 — Salpingitis and oophoritis, N70-N77 — Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs (N70-N77), N71 — Inflammatory disease of uterus, except cervix, N72 — Inflammatory disease of cervix uteri, N73 — Other female pelvic inflammatory diseases, N74 — Female pelvic inflammatory disorders in diseases classified elsewhere, N75 — Diseases of Bartholin's gland, N76 — Other inflammation of vagina and vulva, N77 — Vulvovaginal ulceration and inflammation in diseases classified elsewhere.

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

Contextual Map

Every relationship of K6A.0 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 K6A.0 with these 13 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes2

Use Additional Code

Code Also

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

  • K65.1 — Peritoneal abscess[Excludes2]: “pelvic abscess (extraperitoneal) (K6A.0-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027

Referenced by Code Also instructions (10)

Nearest codes

Change history

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 K6A.0 be billed directly?

No. K6A.0 (Pelvic abscess) 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. "K6A.0 — Pelvic abscess." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/k6a.0-pelvic-abscess

Change history

Changed in FY2027, the release in force: Added to the code set.

  • FY2027 — October 1, 2026
    Added to the code set
    Pelvic abscess
    FY2027 changes

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to K6A.0 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the K6A family