C15
C15 — Malignant neoplasm of esophagus
Non-billable headerICD-10-CM
C15 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for malignant neoplasm of esophagus. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.
Use additional code
Add a secondary code to capture the detail described below.
- code to identify:
- alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
Other codes that can never be billed with C15
These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at C15. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading C15 alone.
- K22.7Barrett's esophagus
Risk adjustment
C15 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.
Code to one of these instead C15
5 child codes. Green means billable.
Questions about C15
- Is C15 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- No. C15 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
- Where does C15 sit in the tabular list?
- Neoplasms (C00-D49), in the block Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs (C15-C26).