M48.4 vs M48.53XD
M48.4 (Fatigue fracture of vertebra) compared with M48.53XD (Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified, cervicothoracic 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. M48.53XD 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. M48.53XD 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 | M48.53XDCollapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified, cervicothoracic 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, cervicothoracic region, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M48.53D). |
| 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