M48.5 vs M84.48XK

M48.5 (Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified) compared with M84.48XK (Pathological fracture, other site, subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Relationship

Conflict

Excludes1 conflict

M48.5

Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified

↔

M84.48XK

Pathological fracture, other site, subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion

Not coded here — these two are mutually exclusive.

“pathological fracture NOS (M84.4-)”

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

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. M48.5 carries an Excludes1 note covering M84.48XK: “pathological fracture NOS (M84.4-)”

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

	M48.5Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified	M84.48XKPathological fracture, other site, subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion
Billing status	Non-billable header	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	Collapsed vertebra, not elsewhere classified is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M48.5).	Pathological fracture, other site, subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M84.48K).
7th character	The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategory M48.5:	The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategory M84.4:
Includes	Collapsed vertebra NOS Compression fracture of vertebra NOS Wedging of vertebra NOS	—

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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