M20.029 (Boutonnière deformity of unspecified finger(s)) 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.
Not coded here — these two are mutually exclusive.
“congenital absence of fingers and toes (Q71.3-, Q72.3-)”
An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur together, so the pair should not be reported for the same encounter. The sole exception is when the conditions are documented as unrelated to each other.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a
No — do not report together. M20.029 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).
| M20.029Boutonnière deformity of unspecified finger(s) | Q71.3Congenital absence of hand and finger | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Non-billable header |
| Classification | M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99) | Q00-Q99 — Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-Q99) |
| Definition | Boutonnière deformity of unspecified finger(s) is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M20.029). | Congenital absence of hand and finger is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Q71.3). |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources