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Q56 ICD-10-CM Code: Indeterminate sex and pseudohermaphroditism

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
7 Excludes1

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for Q56 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 Q56 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).

Coder workflow for Q56

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

Before you code Q56

  1. Q56 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).

    ReviewQ56.0, Q56.1, Q56.2, Q56.3, Q56.4

    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 Q56. 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 Q56?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → Q56 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewQ56.0, Q56.1, Q56.2, Q56.3, Q56.4

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in Q56’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.

    ReviewQ99.1, E34.5, Q99.0, E25

Consider Q56. 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).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting Q56(7 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with Q56: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareQ99.1, E34.5, Q99.0, E25

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

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: Both the condition Q56 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).

ReviewQ99.1, E34.5, Q99.0, E25

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 Q56 with…

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

The codes most likely to be picked instead of Q56 — 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.

  • Q99.1— 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 46,XX true hermaphrodite moves the case to Q99.1; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q56 vs Q99.1 →

  • E34.5— 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 androgen insensitivity syndrome moves the case to E34.5; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q56 vs E34.5 →

  • Q99.0— 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 chimera 46,XX/46,XY true hermaphrodite moves the case to Q99.0; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q56 vs Q99.0 →

  • E25— 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 female pseudohermaphroditism with adrenocortical disorder moves the case to E25; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q56 vs E25 →

  • Q96— 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 pseudohermaphroditism with specified chromosomal anomaly moves the case to Q96; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q56 vs Q96 →

  • Q99— 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 46,XX true hermaphrodite moves the case to Q99; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q56 vs Q99 →

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.

Code Overview

Indeterminate sex and pseudohermaphroditism is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Q56). 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

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 Q56 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: E25 — Adrenogenital disorders.

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

Contextual Map

Every relationship of Q56 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 Q56 with these 8 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1 (13)

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

  • E25 — Adrenogenital disorders[Excludes1]: “indeterminate sex and pseudohermaphroditism (Q56)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027

Nearest codes

Change history

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

Common coding questions

Can Q56 be billed directly?

No. Q56 (Indeterminate sex and pseudohermaphroditism) 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 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

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. "Q56 — Indeterminate sex and pseudohermaphroditism." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/q56-indeterminate-sex-and-pseudohermaphroditism

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Indeterminate sex and pseudohermaphroditism

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 Q56 in its code family, with their registry titles.