M22.4 vs M94.2

M22.4 (Chondromalacia patellae) compared with M94.2 (Chondromalacia), 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. M94.2 carries an Excludes1 note covering M22.4: “chondromalacia patellae (M22.4)”

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

	M22.4Chondromalacia patellae	M94.2Chondromalacia
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: M22.40, M22.41, M22.42	Non-billable header Report instead: M94.20, M94.211, M94.212, M94.219, M94.221
Classification	M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)	M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)
Definition	Chondromalacia patellae is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M22.4).	Chondromalacia is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M94.2).

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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