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M25.532 vs M79.6

M25.532 (Pain in left wrist) compared with M79.6 (Pain in limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because M25.532 lists M79.6 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

Title wording and billing status.The titles share “Pain in”; M25.532 says “left wrist” where M79.6 says “limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes”. M79.6 is a non-billable header; M25.532 is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.M25.532 lists M79.6 under Excludes2: “pain in limb (M79.6-)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. M79.6 carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.M25.532’s tabular entry: “pain in limb (M79.6-)”. The note covers M79.6.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.M79.6 is a non-billable header, but M25.532 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

M25.532
Pain in left wrist
↔
M79.6
Pain in limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.M25.532 carries an Excludes2 note covering M79.6: “pain in limb (M79.6-)”

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

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2026

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

M25.532Pain in left wristM79.6Pain in limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: M79.601, M79.602, M79.603, M79.604, M79.605

ClassificationM00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)
DefinitionPain in left wrist is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M25.532).Pain in limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M79.6).
Excludes1—
psychogenic rheumatism (F45.8)
soft tissue pain, psychogenic (F45.41)
Excludes2
pain in hand (M79.64-)
pain in fingers (M79.64-)
pain in foot (M79.67-)
pain in limb (M79.6-)
pain in toes (M79.67-)
abnormality of gait and mobility (R26.-)
acquired deformities of limb (M20-M21)
calcification of bursa (M71.4-)
calcification of shoulder (joint) (M75.3)
calcification of tendon (M65.2-)
difficulty in walking (R26.2)
temporomandibular joint disorder (M26.6-)
joints of the spine (M40-M54)
pain in joint (M25.5-)

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.

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources