M20 vs Q71.3

M20 (Acquired deformities of fingers and toes) compared with Q71.3 (Congenital absence of hand and finger), 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. M20 carries an Excludes1 note covering Q71.3: “congenital absence of fingers and toes (Q71.3-, Q72.3-)”

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

	M20Acquired deformities of fingers and toes	Q71.3Congenital absence of hand and finger
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: M20.001, M20.002, M20.009, M20.011, M20.012	Non-billable header Report instead: Q71.30, Q71.31, Q71.32, Q71.33
Classification	M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)	Q00-Q99 — Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
Definition	Acquired deformities of fingers and toes is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M20).	Congenital absence of hand and finger is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Q71.3).

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources