Is K20.90 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes. K20.90 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.

Where does K20.90 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K95), in the block Diseases of esophagus, stomach and duodenum (K20-K31).

What cannot be coded together with K20.90?

K20.90 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 K20.90 (K20) and apply to it just the same.

K20.90

K20.90 — Esophagitis, unspecified without bleeding

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CM

K20.90 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for esophagitis, unspecified without bleeding. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Inclusion terms

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

Esophagitis NOS

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above K20.90

These are not written on K20.90, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing K20.90 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on K20 — Esophagitis

erosion of esophagus (K22.1-)
esophagitis with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (K21.0-)
reflux esophagitis (K21.0-)
ulcerative esophagitis (K22.1-)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above K20.90

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of K20.90, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on K20 — Esophagitis

eosinophilic gastritis or gastroenteritis (K52.81)

Risk adjustment

K20.90 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.

Medicare coverage

K20.90 is named in 4 Medicare coverage policies — 4 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.

A52421Billing and Coding: Ibandronate Sodium
A56389Billing and Coding: Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Visualization
A57063Billing and Coding: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
A57414Billing and Coding: Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Diagnostic and Therapeutic)

How K20.90 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 K20.90.

Esophagitis(acute) (alkaline) (chemical) (chronic) (infectional) (necrotic) (peptic) (postoperative) (without bleeding)

Code history

K20.90 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 K20.9. If K20.90 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

K20.91Esophagitis, unspecified with bleeding

Questions about K20.90

Is K20.90 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: Yes. K20.90 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
Where does K20.90 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K95), in the block Diseases of esophagus, stomach and duodenum (K20-K31).
What cannot be coded together with K20.90?: K20.90 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 K20.90 (K20) and apply to it just the same.