Guidelines › Signs and symptoms that are integral to a disease

Signs and symptoms that are integral to a disease

Official text from the FY2027 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. The wording is quoted exactly.

Guidelines I.B.5; I.B.6

“Signs and symptoms that are associated routinely with a disease process should not be assigned as additional codes, unless otherwise instructed by the classification.”

“Additional signs and symptoms that may not be associated routinely with a disease process should be coded when present.”

Where this applies

This is a general rule. It applies to code assignment everywhere, not to one code or group of codes.

Source: FY 2027 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, effective October 1, 2026. Full Guidelines (PDF, CMS)