Guidelines › Brackets and parentheses
Brackets and parentheses
Official text from the FY2027 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. The wording is quoted exactly.
Guidelines I.A.7
“Brackets are used in the Tabular List to enclose synonyms, alternative wording or explanatory phrases. Brackets are used in the Alphabetic Index to identify manifestation codes.”
“Parentheses are used in both the Alphabetic Index and Tabular List to enclose supplementary words that may be present or absent in the statement of a disease or procedure without affecting the code number to which it is assigned.”
Where this applies
This is a general rule. It applies to code assignment everywhere, not to one code or group of codes.
The Guidelines are the authority for assigning codes, and following them is required under HIPAA. This page quotes them for convenience and is not a substitute for the official document. See the Terms and Disclaimer.