Skip to main content

H70.2 vs M86.8X51

H70.2 (Petrositis) compared with M86.8X51 (Other osteomyelitis, right thigh), from the official CMS tabular data. Both may be reported when both conditions are documented (Excludes2). MedCoder-derived

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

M86.8X51
Other osteomyelitis, right thigh
↔
H70.2
Petrositis

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.M86.8X51 carries an Excludes2 note covering H70.2: “petrous bone (H70.2-)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Side by side

H70.2PetrositisM86.8X51Other osteomyelitis, right thigh
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: H70.201, H70.202, H70.203, H70.209, H70.211

Billable
ClassificationH60-H95 — Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process (H60-H95)M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)
DefinitionPetrositis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H70.2).Other osteomyelitis, right thigh is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M86.8X51).
Includes
Inflammation of petrous bone
—
Excludes1—
osteomyelitis due to:
echinococcus (B67.2)
gonococcus (A54.43)
salmonella (A02.24)
postprocedural osteopathies (M96.-)
Excludes2—
ostemyelitis of:
orbit (H05.0-)
petrous bone (H70.2-)
vertebra (M46.2-)
Use additional code—
code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent
code to identify major osseous defect, if applicable (M89.7-)

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources