Is F10.20 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes. F10.20 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.

Where does F10.20 sit in the tabular list?

Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01-F99), in the block Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10-F19).

What cannot be coded together with F10.20?

F10.20 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above F10.20 (F10.2) and apply to it just the same.

F10.20

F10.20 — Alcohol dependence, uncomplicated

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CM

F10.20 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for alcohol dependence, uncomplicated. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Inclusion terms

Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.

Alcohol use disorder, moderate
Alcohol use disorder, severe

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above F10.20

These are not written on F10.20, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing F10.20 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on F10.2 — Alcohol dependence

alcohol abuse (F10.1-)
alcohol use, unspecified (F10.9-)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above F10.20

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of F10.20, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on F10.2 — Alcohol dependence

toxic effect of alcohol (T51.0-)

Risk adjustment

F10.20 risk-adjusts. Under the CMS-HCC V28 model it maps to this category:

HCC 139 Alcohol Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Alcohol Use with Specified Non-Psychotic Complications0.242 RAF

Coefficient shown for the Community Non-dual Aged segment. A higher HCC in the same hierarchy will suppress this one, so capturing it does not always add score.

Medicare coverage

F10.20 is named in 23 Medicare coverage policies — 21 listing it as supporting medical necessity, and 2 listing it as NOT covered. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.

A52434Health and Behavior Assessment/Intervention – Medical Policy Articlenot covered
A59718Billing and Coding: Opioid Treatment Programsnot covered
A54799Billing and Coding: Urine Drug Testing
A55001Billing and Coding: Urine Drug Testing

How F10.20 is indexed

Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to F10.20.

Alcoholism(chronic) (without remission)
Dipsomania
Addiction›alcohol, alcoholic(ethyl) (methyl) (wood) (without remission)
Addiction›ethyl alcohol(without remission)
Addiction›methyl alcohol(without remission)
Addiction›methylated spirit(without remission)
Alcohol, alcoholic, alcohol-induced›addiction(without remission)
Dependence›alcohol(ethyl) (methyl) (without remission)
Drunkenness›chronic(without remission)
Dependence›ethyl›alcohol(without remission)
Dependence›methyl›alcohol(without remission)
Disorder›alcohol use›moderate or severe

Code history

F10.20 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share F10.2. If F10.20 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about F10.20

Is F10.20 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: Yes. F10.20 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
Where does F10.20 sit in the tabular list?: Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01-F99), in the block Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10-F19).
What cannot be coded together with F10.20?: F10.20 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above F10.20 (F10.2) and apply to it just the same.