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M48.45XG vs S22.0

M48.45XG (Fatigue fracture of vertebra, thoracolumbar region, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing) compared with S22.0 (Fracture of thoracic vertebra), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes should not be reported together because M48.45XG’s tabular entry lists S22.0 under Excludes1.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named, billing status and chapter.M48.45XG is “Fatigue fracture of vertebra, thoracolumbar region, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing”; S22.0 is “Fracture of thoracic vertebra”. S22.0 is a non-billable header; M48.45XG is billable. M48.45XG sits in M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99); S22.0 in S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

No.M48.45XG’s entry carries an Excludes1 note covering S22.0: “traumatic fracture of vertebrae (S12.0-S12.3-, S22.0-, S32.0-)”. Both may be reported only when the documentation shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

Yes.M48.45XG’s tabular entry: “traumatic fracture of vertebrae (S12.0-S12.3-, S22.0-, S32.0-)”. The note covers S22.0.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. S22.0 carries 13 Excludes2 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

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.S22.0 is a non-billable header, but M48.45XG 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?

Conflict

Excludes1 conflict

M48.45XG
Fatigue fracture of vertebra, thoracolumbar region, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing
↔
S22.0
Fracture of thoracic vertebra

What we found

No — do not report together.M48.45XG carries an Excludes1 note covering S22.0: “traumatic fracture of vertebrae (S12.0-S12.3-, S22.0-, S32.0-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

What to review

Report one of the two. Both may be reported only when the documentation shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur together, so the pair should not be reported for the same encounter. The sole exception is when the conditions are documented as unrelated to each other.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.a — Excludes1 · applies to: Excludes1

    A type 1 Excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means “NOT CODED HERE!” An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition. An exception to the Excludes1 definition is the circumstance when the two conditions are unrelated to each other. If it is not clear whether the two conditions involving an Excludes1 note are related or not, query the provider. For example, code F45.8, Other somatoform disorders, has an Excludes1 note for "sleep related teeth grinding (G47.63)," because "teeth grinding" is an inclusion term under F45.8. Only one of these two codes should be assigned for teeth grinding. However psychogenic dysmenorrhea is also an inclusion term under F45.8, and a patient could have both this condition and sleep related teeth grinding. In this case, the two conditions are clearly unrelated to each other, and so it would be appropriate to report F45.8 and G47.63 together.

    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

M48.45XGFatigue fracture of vertebra, thoracolumbar region, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healingS22.0Fracture of thoracic vertebra
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: S22.000A, S22.000B, S22.000D, S22.000G, S22.000K

ClassificationM00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)
DefinitionFatigue fracture of vertebra, thoracolumbar region, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M48.45XG).Fracture of thoracic vertebra is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S22.0).
7th characterThe 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 category S22
Includes—
fracture of thoracic neural arch
fracture of thoracic spinous process
fracture of thoracic transverse process
fracture of thoracic vertebra
Excludes1
pathological fracture NOS (M84.4-)
pathological fracture of vertebra due to neoplasm (M84.58)
pathological fracture of vertebra due to other diagnosis (M84.68)
pathological fracture of vertebra due to osteoporosis (M80.-)
traumatic fracture of vertebrae (S12.0-S12.3-, S22.0-, S32.0-)
transection of thorax (S28.1)
Excludes2—
fracture of clavicle (S42.0-)
fracture of scapula (S42.1-)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
effects of foreign body in bronchus (T17.5)
effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1)
effects of foreign body in lung (T17.8)
effects of foreign body in trachea (T17.4)
frostbite (T33-T34)
injuries of axilla
injuries of clavicle
injuries of scapular region
injuries of shoulder
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
Code first—
, if applicable, spinal cord injury (S24.0-, S24.1-)
Code also—
, if applicable, any associated condition such as:
injury of intrathoracic organ (S27.-)
traumatic hemopneumothorax (S27.2)
traumatic hemothorax (S27.1-)
traumatic pneumothorax (S27.0)

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