Q38
Header — not billableOther congenital malformations of tongue, mouth and pharynx
The ICD-10 code for other congenital malformations of tongue, mouth and pharynx is Q38.
Q38 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 9 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).
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.
Child codes under Q38
- Q38.0Congenital malformations of lips, not elsewhere classified
- Q38.1Ankyloglossia
- Q38.2Macroglossia
- Q38.3Other congenital malformations of tongue
- Q38.4Congenital malformations of salivary glands and ducts
- Q38.5Congenital malformations of palate, not elsewhere classified
- Q38.6Other congenital malformations of mouth
- Q38.7Congenital pharyngeal pouch
- Q38.8Other congenital malformations of pharynx
Related codes in this category
- Q39Congenital malformations of esophagusnon-billable header
- Q40Other congenital malformations of upper alimentary tractnon-billable header
- Q41Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of small intestinenon-billable header
- Q42Congenital absence, atresia and stenosis of large intestinenon-billable header
- Q43Other congenital malformations of intestinenon-billable header
- Q44Congenital malformations of gallbladder, bile ducts and livernon-billable header
- Q45Other congenital malformations of digestive systemnon-billable header
- Q38Other congenital malformations of tongue, mouth and pharynxnon-billable header