M43 vs M88

M43 (Other deforming dorsopathies) compared with M88 (Osteitis deformans [Paget's disease of bone]), 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. M43 carries an Excludes1 note covering M88: “spinal curvature in Paget's disease of bone [osteitis deformans] (M88.-)”

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

	M43Other deforming dorsopathies	M88Osteitis deformans [Paget's disease of bone]
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: M43.00, M43.01, M43.02, M43.03, M43.04	Non-billable header Report instead: M88.0, M88.1, M88.811, M88.812, M88.819
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	Other deforming dorsopathies is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M43).	Osteitis deformans [Paget's disease of bone] is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M88).

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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