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K83.0 ICD-10-CM Code: Cholangitis

Compare with another code for K83.0Check this code on a claim

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

Coding at a Glance

Official instructions
3 Excludes1 · 5 Excludes2

What these terms mean →

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, and is marked with where it comes from.

Excludes1Not reported with this code unless documented as unrelated
  • cholangitic liver abscess (K75.0)
  • cholangitis with choledocholithiasis (K80.3-, K80.4-)
  • postcholecystectomy syndrome (K91.5) (from K83)
Excludes2Not included here; may be reported together
  • chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis (K74.3)
  • primary biliary cholangitis (K74.3)
  • primary biliary cirrhosis (K74.3)
  • conditions involving the gallbladder (K81-K82) (from K83)

+1 more in Instructions

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 11: Diseases of the Digestive SystemK80-K87 Disorders of gallbladder, biliary tract and pancreasK83 Other diseases of biliary tract

Codes under K83.0 (2)

  • K83.01Primary sclerosing cholangitisBillable
  • K83.09Other cholangitisBillable

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 K83.0 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

Notes without a marker are published on K83.0 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).

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

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

Coder workflow for K83.0

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

Before you code K83.0

  1. K83.0 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).

    ReviewK83.01, K83.09

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

  2. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with the code beneath K83.0. 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 K83.0?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → K83.0 cannot be reported as written. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

    ReviewK83.01, K83.09

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in K83.0’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.

    ReviewK75.0, K80.3, K80.4, K91.5

Report the code beneath K83.0 that the documentation supports, not K83.0 itself. Then confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

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).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting K83.0(3 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with K83.0: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareK75.0, K80.3, K80.4, K91.5

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

  • Excludes2 — not part of K83.0(5 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in K83.0. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareK74.3

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

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: Both the condition K83.0 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).

ReviewK75.0, K80.3, K80.4, K91.5

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 K83.0 with…

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

The codes most likely to be picked instead of K83.0 — 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.

  • K75.0— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of cholangitic liver abscess moves the case to K75.0; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K83.0 vs K75.0 →

  • K80.3— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of cholangitis with choledocholithiasis moves the case to K80.3; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K83.0 vs K80.3 →

  • K80.4— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of cholangitis with choledocholithiasis moves the case to K80.4; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K83.0 vs K80.4 →

  • K91.5— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of postcholecystectomy syndrome moves the case to K91.5; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: K83.0 vs K91.5 →

  • K83.9— Specificity relationship (Review)

    Overlapping diagnoses in the same category.

    Overlapping codes in the same category — the documentation decides which is the more specific fit.

    What moves you there: A record that documents no more than “Disease of biliary tract, unspecified” takes K83.9; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: K83.0 vs K83.9 →

  • K74.3— 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 chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis adds K74.3; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: K83.0 vs K74.3 →

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

Cholangitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (K83.0). 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.

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: K83.01, K83.09.

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

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):DIG017 — Biliary tract disease (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 (Biliary tract disease).

K81.9 — Cholecystitis, unspecified, K82.0 — Obstruction of gallbladder, K82.1 — Hydrops of gallbladder, K82.2 — Perforation of gallbladder, K82.3 — Fistula of gallbladder, K82.4 — Cholesterolosis of gallbladder, K82.8 — Other specified diseases of gallbladder, K82.9 — Disease of gallbladder, unspecified, K82.A1 — Gangrene of gallbladder in cholecystitis, K82.A2 — Perforation of gallbladder in cholecystitis, K83.01 — Primary sclerosing cholangitis, K83.09 — Other cholangitis, K83.1 — Obstruction of bile duct, K83.2 — Perforation of bile duct, K83.3 — Fistula of bile duct, K83.4 — Spasm of sphincter of Oddi, K83.5 — Biliary cyst, K83.8 — Other specified diseases of biliary tract, K83.9 — Disease of biliary tract, unspecified, K87 — Disorders of gallbladder, biliary tract and pancreas in diseases classified elsewhere, +45 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of K83.0 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 K83.0 with these 4 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1

Excludes2

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Nearest codes (10)

Change history (2)

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 K83.0 be billed directly?

No. K83.0 (Cholangitis) 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 28, 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. "K83.0 — Cholangitis." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/k83.0-cholangitis

Change history

  • FY2019 — October 1, 2018
    Became a non-billable header
    FY2019 changes
  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Cholangitis

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to K83.0 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the K83 family