Coding Notes
The Musculoskeletal System and
ICD-10-CM/PCS
By Kathy DeVault, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P
THE ICD-10-CM/PCS TRANSITION will provide coding pro- fessionals with the opportunity to enhance their coding skills. However, it will also require most coders brush up on their anat- omy and physiology knowledge. Now is the perfect time to gain a better understanding of the differences between ICD-10-CM/ PCS and ICD-9-CM and determine the areas where additional anatomy and physiology education is necessary. This article outlines the terminology and classification chang- es in the musculoskeletal system in ICD-10-CM/PCS. ICD-10-CM In ICD-10-CM, chapter 13, “Diseases of the Musculoskeletal
System and Connective Tissue (M00–M99),” classifies conditions such as osteoarthritis (M15–M19), spondylopathies (M45–
M49), muscle disorders (M60–M63), other soft tissue disorders
(M70–M79), and intraoperative and postprocedural complications and disorders of musculoskeletal system, not elsewhere
classified (M96).
A number of block, category, and subcategory title changes
have been made in this chapter. For example, section M00–M25
is titled “Arthropathies,” whereas in subsection 710–719 of ICD-
9-CM this section was titled “Arthropathies and Related Disor-
ders.”
In addition, a number of conditions from other chapters in
ICD-9-CM are now included in chapter 13, including gout from
chapter 3; polyarteritis nodosa from chapter 7; and categories
524, Dentofacial anomalies, including malocclusion, and 526,
Diseases of the jaw, from chapter 9.
injury and recurrent bone, joint, or muscle condition are also
usually found in chapter 13. Any current, acute injury should
be coded to the appropriate injury code from chapter 19, “
Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External
Causes.” Chronic or recurrent conditions should generally be
coded with a code from chapter 13.
In chapter 13, the seventh-character extensions are utilized
more than in some other ICD-10-CM chapters. The extensions
represent pathological or stress fractures in subcategory M84.3–
M84.6. They are:
As with many of the chapters in ICD-10-CM, codes in chap-
ter 13 have been expanded to include greater anatomic speci-
ficity and laterality. In addition, instructional notes have been
expanded to indicate that additional codes should be assigned
for associated conditions or an underlying condition should be
coded first.
