Z87.39 vs Z87.81

Z87.39 (Personal history of other diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue) compared with Z87.81 (Personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because Z87.39 lists Z87.81 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule

What is different?

Title wording.The titles share “Personal history of”; Z87.39 says “other diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue” where Z87.81 says “(healed) traumatic fracture”.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.Z87.39 lists Z87.81 under Excludes2: “personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture (Z87.81)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.Z87.39’s tabular entry: “personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture (Z87.81)”. The note covers Z87.81.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

No.Neither is a subdivision of the other, and neither title is the unspecified form; they describe different conditions within category Z87.

Registry fact

Is one a parent or header code?

No.Both are billable codes, and neither contains the other.

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?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

Z87.39

Personal history of other diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue

↔

Z87.81

Personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.Z87.39 carries an Excludes2 note covering Z87.81: “personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture (Z87.81)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2 Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2
A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.
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

	Z87.39Personal history of other diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue	Z87.81Personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture
Billing status	Billable	Billable
Classification	Z00-Z99 — Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services (Z00-Z99)	Z00-Z99 — Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services (Z00-Z99)
Definition	Personal history of other diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Z87.39).	Personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Z87.81).
Excludes2	personal history of (healed) traumatic fracture (Z87.81)	personal history of (healed) nontraumatic fracture (Z87.31-) personal history of self harm (Z91.5-)
Code first	any follow-up examination after treatment (Z09)	any follow-up examination after treatment (Z09)
Code also	any follow-up examination (Z08-Z09)	any follow-up examination (Z08-Z09)

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