ICD-10-CM · FY 2026 POA Exempt
POA Exempt: Other congenital malformations of the digestive system (Q38-Q45) ICD-10-CM
The 61 ICD-10-CM codes in this range are exempt from Present on Admission reporting for fiscal year 2026. Hospitals assign no POA indicator for them on inpatient claims: the codes describe circumstances, such as pre-existing conditions or the cause of an injury, where asking whether the condition was present at admission adds no information.
✓ Built from the official CMS FY 2026 POA exempt fileEffective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026
61
Exempt Codes
1
POA Indicator When Reported
ICD-10-CM
Exempt Codes in This Range 61 codes · 8 categories
61 of 61 shown
Q38 Other congenital malformations of tongue, mouth and pharynx9 codes
- Q38.0 Congenital malformations of lips, not elsewhere classified
- Q38.1 Ankyloglossia
- Q38.2 Macroglossia
- Q38.3 Other congenital malformations of tongue
- Q38.4 Congenital malformations of salivary glands and ducts
- Q38.5 Congenital malformations of palate, not elsewhere classified
- Q38.6 Other congenital malformations of mouth
- Q38.7 Congenital pharyngeal pouch
- Q38.8 Other congenital malformations of pharynx
Q39 Congenital malformations of esophagus9 codes
- Q39.0 Atresia of esophagus without fistula
- Q39.1 Atresia of esophagus with tracheo-esophageal fistula
- Q39.2 Congenital tracheo-esophageal fistula without atresia
- Q39.3 Congenital stenosis and stricture of esophagus
- Q39.4 Esophageal web
- Q39.5 Congenital dilatation of esophagus
- Q39.6 Congenital diverticulum of esophagus
- Q39.8 Other congenital malformations of esophagus
- Q39.9 Congenital malformation of esophagus, unspecified
Q40 Other congenital malformations of upper alimentary tract6 codes
- Q40.0 Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
- Q40.1 Congenital hiatus hernia
- Q40.2 Other specified congenital malformations of stomach
- Q40.3 Congenital malformation of stomach, unspecified
- Q40.8 Other specified congenital malformations of upper alimentary tract
- Q40.9 Congenital malformation of upper alimentary tract, unspecified
Q41 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of small intestine5 codes
- Q41.0 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of duodenum
- Q41.1 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of jejunum
- Q41.2 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of ileum
- Q41.8 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of other specified parts of small intestine
- Q41.9 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of small intestine, part unspecified
Q42 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of large intestine6 codes
- Q42.0 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of rectum with fistula
- Q42.1 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of rectum without fistula
- Q42.2 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of anus with fistula
- Q42.3 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of anus without fistula
- Q42.8 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of other parts of large intestine
- Q42.9 Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of large intestine, part unspecified
Q43 Other congenital malformations of intestine10 codes
- Q43.0 Meckel's diverticulum (displaced) (hypertrophic)
- Q43.1 Hirschsprung's disease
- Q43.2 Other congenital functional disorders of colon
- Q43.3 Congenital malformations of intestinal fixation
- Q43.4 Duplication of intestine
- Q43.5 Ectopic anus
- Q43.6 Congenital fistula of rectum and anus
- Q43.7 Persistent cloaca
- Q43.8 Other specified congenital malformations of intestine
- Q43.9 Congenital malformation of intestine, unspecified
Q44 Congenital malformations of gallbladder, bile ducts and liver10 codes
- Q44.0 Agenesis, aplasia and hypoplasia of gallbladder
- Q44.1 Other congenital malformations of gallbladder
- Q44.2 Atresia of bile ducts
- Q44.3 Congenital stenosis and stricture of bile ducts
- Q44.4 Choledochal cyst
- Q44.5 Other congenital malformations of bile ducts
- Q44.6 Cystic disease of liver
- Q44.70 Other congenital malformation of liver, unspecified
- Q44.71 Alagille syndrome
- Q44.79 Other congenital malformations of liver
Q45 Other congenital malformations of digestive system6 codes
- Q45.0 Agenesis, aplasia and hypoplasia of pancreas
- Q45.1 Annular pancreas
- Q45.2 Congenital pancreatic cyst
- Q45.3 Other congenital malformations of pancreas and pancreatic duct
- Q45.8 Other specified congenital malformations of digestive system
- Q45.9 Congenital malformation of digestive system, unspecified
Questions About This Category
Why are these codes POA exempt?
The codes for other congenital malformations of the digestive system describe circumstances where the Present on Admission question has no meaning, so CMS exempts them from the indicator. The exemption is published in the official FY 2026 CMS exempt file.
How many codes in this range are exempt?
The FY 2026 exempt list contains 61 codes in this range, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Are these codes billable?
The exemption only removes the POA indicator requirement, it does not change how a code is used on claims. Billable status is shown per code: blue codes are billable, and any codes shown in the amber tone are category headers that need more characters.
More POA Exempt Categories
Other congenital malformations of tongue, mouth and pharynxCongenital malformations of esophagusOther congenital malformations of upper alimentary tractCongenital absence, atresia and stenosis of small intestineCongenital absence, atresia and stenosis of large intestineOther congenital malformations of intestineCongenital malformations of gallbladder, bile ducts and liverOther congenital malformations of digestive system All POA exempt categories →
Source: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM POA exempt file, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. See also the Medicare Code Edits and the MS-DRG list.
