A54.43 vs M86
A54.43 (Gonococcal osteomyelitis) compared with M86 (Osteomyelitis), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.
Can these codes be reported together?
No — do not report together. M86 carries an Excludes1 note covering A54.43: “gonococcus (A54.43)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
Side by side
| A54.43Gonococcal osteomyelitis | M86Osteomyelitis | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Non-billable header |
| Classification | A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99) | M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99) |
| Definition | Gonococcal osteomyelitis is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (A54.43). | Osteomyelitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M86). |
| Use additional code | — | code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent code to identify major osseous defect, if applicable (M89.7-) |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources