ICD-10-CM Code Also Notes ICD-10-CM
A Code Also note means two codes may be needed to fully describe a condition; it gives no sequencing direction. The FY 2027 Tabular List has 689 Code Also Notes; 495 of them name other codes, with 538 references to 349 distinct codes, categories and ranges. Pick a chapter below to see every note in it, by the code that carries the note or by the code it names.
A "code also" note instructs that two codes may be required to fully describe a condition, but this note does not provide sequencing direction. The sequencing depends on the circumstances of the encounter.
Code Also Notes by Chapter 20 chapters
“References to its codes” counts notes anywhere in the Tabular List that name a code in the chapter; “references in its notes” counts the codes named by notes printed in the chapter. Each chapter page shows both lists.
Questions About Code Also Notes
What does a Code Also note mean?
A Code Also note instructs that two codes may be required to fully describe a condition, but it does not give sequencing direction (Section I.A.17). The FY 2027 Tabular List has 689 of them; 495 name other codes, with 538 references to 349 distinct codes, categories and ranges.
Which code goes first with a Code Also note?
The note does not decide it. Sequencing depends on the circumstances of the encounter: normally the condition that is the main reason for the visit goes first.
How is Code Also different from Use Additional Code?
Use Additional Code fixes the order (the code with the note first, the added code after). Code Also only says the second code may be needed and leaves the order to the encounter.
Official Sources & Methodology
Every note on these pages is loaded verbatim from the FY 2027 ICD-10-CM Tabular List. Code references inside the notes are matched against the FY 2027 code set, so every link opens a valid code; scope counts (“applies to N codes”) count the billable codes under the note’s chapter, block or category.
- CMS ICD-10-CM FilesThe Tabular List (XML) that every note, note type and code reference on ICD List comes from.
- ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2027Section I.A, Conventions for the ICD-10-CM, defines each note type; the definitions on these pages follow its wording.
ICD List is not affiliated with CMS or NCHS. These pages are a coding reference; the Tabular List and the Official Guidelines remain the authority.
Related References
Source: FY 2027 ICD-10-CM Tabular List (CMS and NCHS) and the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2027, Section I.A. ICD List is not affiliated with CMS or NCHS.
