M48.4 vs M48.51XD
M48.4 (Fatigue fracture of vertebra) compared with M48.51XD (Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified, occipito-atlanto-axial region, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing), 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. M48.51XD carries an Excludes1 note covering M48.4: “fatigue fracture of vertebra (M48.4)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
No — do not report together. M48.51XD carries an Excludes1 note covering M48.4: “stress fracture of vertebra (M48.4-)”
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
| M48.4Fatigue fracture of vertebra | M48.51XDCollapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified, occipito-atlanto-axial region, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: M48.40XA, M48.40XD, M48.40XG, M48.40XS, M48.41XA | Billable |
| 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 | Fatigue fracture of vertebra is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M48.4). | Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified, occipito-atlanto-axial region, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M48.51D). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategory M48.4: | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategory M48.5: |
| Includes | Stress fracture of vertebra | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources