Q01
Header — not billableEncephalocele
The ICD-10 code for encephalocele is Q01.
Q01 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 5 more specific codes below.
Clinical notes
Excludes1 (not coded here)
An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).
- Meckel-Gruber syndrome (Q61.9)
Includes
Terms listed here further define or give examples of the conditions grouped under this code — they describe what the code covers, not a separate diagnosis.
- Arnold-Chiari syndrome, type III
- encephalocystocele
- encephalomyelocele
- hydroencephalocele
- hydromeningocele, cranial
- meningocele, cerebral
- meningoencephalocele
Documentation support
General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.
- •This is a non-billable header code. Documentation must support a more specific child code before this diagnosis can be reported on a claim.
- •Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
- •As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.
Related codes in this category
- Q00Anencephaly and similar malformationsnon-billable header
- Q02Microcephaly
- Q03Congenital hydrocephalusnon-billable header
- Q04Other congenital malformations of brainnon-billable header
- Q05Spina bifidanon-billable header
- Q06Other congenital malformations of spinal cordnon-billable header
- Q07Other congenital malformations of nervous systemnon-billable header
- Q01Encephalocelenon-billable header