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M24.076 ICD-10-CM Code: Loose body in unspecified toe joint(s)

Compare with another code for M24.076Check this code on a claim

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes1 · 5 Excludes2

Billable · FY2027A valid, specific ICD-10-CM code, reportable for dates of service in FY2027.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

Excludes1from M24Not reported with this code unless documented as unrelated
  • current injury - see injury of joint by body region
Excludes2Not included here; may be reported together
  • loose body in knee (M23.4) (from M24.0)
  • ganglion (M67.4) (from M24)
  • snapping knee (M23.8-) (from M24)
  • temporomandibular joint disorders (M26.6-) (from M24)

+1 more in Instructions

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 13: Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective TissueM00-M25 ArthropathiesM20-M25 Other joint disordersM24 Other specific joint derangementsM24.0 Loose body in jointM24.07 Loose body in ankle and toe joints

Most relevant related codes MedCoder-derived

Read off the official notes above and this code’s own position in the tabular list. Which to report is a documentation question; Compare shows the two side by side.

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 564 — OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 08)
  • MS-DRG 565 — OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 08)
  • MS-DRG 566 — OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 08)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for M24.076 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on M24.076 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

  • current injury - see injury of joint by body region

Source: inherited from M24

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Coder workflow for M24.076

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code M24.076

  1. Unspecified does not mean incorrect. When the record gives no greater specificity, M24.076 may be the appropriate code. Check the record for detail that supports a more specific sibling. An unspecified code is for records that do not provide the detail a more specific code needs; a query, not an assumption, is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).

    ReviewM24.071, M24.072, M24.074, M24.075

    See the relationships section · Guide: Other vs unspecified (NEC vs NOS) →

  2. Laterality is coded in this family. Confirm the side documented — right, left, or bilateral — and select the matching code (this page’s code: unspecified). The unspecified-side code applies only when the record states no side. Laterality is assigned from the documented side; where a bilateral code exists and both sides are documented, it is used instead of two unilateral codes (Guidelines I.B.13).

    ReviewM24.074 · right, M24.075 · left

    Guide: Laterality coding →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with M24.076. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the record document the detail a more specific sibling code needs?
    Yes → Review the specific siblings in this subcategory.
    No → Continue — M24.076 is appropriate when the documentation goes no further.

    ReviewM24.071, M24.072, M24.074, M24.075

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in M24.076’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.
  3. Is the side documented?
    Yes → Select the code for the documented side (or the bilateral code when both sides are documented and one exists).
    No → Use the unspecified-side code only when the record states no side; a query is the alternative.

    ReviewM24.074 · right, M24.075 · left

Consider M24.076. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Laterality
Right, left or bilateral as documented; unspecified only when the record states no side (Guidelines I.B.13).
Any detail beyond this code’s title
What the record states that a more specific code would capture — or its absence, which itself supports the unspecified code.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting M24.076(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with M24.076: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Excludes2 — not part of M24.076(5 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in M24.076. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareM23.4, M67.4, M23.8, M26.6

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: The provider documents the condition in the terms of this code’s title and records no further detail.

Coding question: Is a more specific sibling code supportable?

Path: Review the specific siblings in this subcategory and what each requires the record to state.

Reason: A more specific code needs documentation of the distinguishing element; without it the unspecified code is appropriate, and a provider query is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).

ReviewM24.071, M24.072, M24.074, M24.075

Documentation: Both the condition M24.076 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

Documentation: The record documents the condition on one side only.

Coding question: Which code in this family applies?

Path: Select the sibling code for the documented side.

Reason: Laterality is assigned from the documented side; the unspecified-side code is for records that state no side (Guidelines I.B.13).

ReviewM24.074 · right, M24.075 · left

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Don’t confuse M24.076 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of M24.076 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • M24.074— Laterality relationship (Review)

    Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.

    The same condition with a different side named (the opposite side, both sides, or none); the documented side decides, and a bilateral code, where one exists, replaces the pair when both sides are documented.

    What moves you there: A documented right side moves the case to M24.074.

    Full comparison: M24.076 vs M24.074 →

  • M24.075— Laterality relationship (Review)

    Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.

    The same condition with a different side named (the opposite side, both sides, or none); the documented side decides, and a bilateral code, where one exists, replaces the pair when both sides are documented.

    What moves you there: A documented left side moves the case to M24.075.

    Full comparison: M24.076 vs M24.075 →

  • M23.4— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of loose body in knee adds M23.4; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M24.076 vs M23.4 →

  • M67.4— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of ganglion adds M67.4; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M24.076 vs M67.4 →

  • M23.8— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of snapping knee adds M23.8; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M24.076 vs M23.8 →

  • M26.6— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of temporomandibular joint disorders adds M26.6; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M24.076 vs M26.6 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Loose body in unspecified toe joint(s) is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M24.076).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Verify Before Coding

  • No Medicare Code Editor or MS-DRG Definitions Manual restrictions apply to this code.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2027 MS-DRG: not on the CMS CC/MCC list — as a secondary diagnosis this code does not change MS-DRG severity for that release.

Named in the grouper logic of 3 MS-DRGs: DRG 564 (MDC 08), DRG 565 (MDC 08), DRG 566 (MDC 08).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):MUS007 — Other specified joint disorders (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same condition, different side

Same title, differing only in which side of the body it names: right, left, bilateral or unspecified.

M24.074 — Loose body in right toe joint(s) (right)Compare M24.076 vs M24.074 →, M24.075 — Loose body in left toe joint(s) (left)Compare M24.076 vs M24.075 →

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Other specified joint disorders).

+741 more

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Loose”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

K08.89 — Other specified disorders of teeth and supporting structures (tooth, teeth), L98.7 — Excessive and redundant skin and subcutaneous tissue (skin and subcutaneous tissue), M23.4 — Loose body in knee (body, knee)

Contextual Map

Every relationship of M24.076 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Hierarchy

Clinical classification (CCSR)

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 08 — Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 18,439 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027

Nearest codes (40)

Change history (3)

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v44 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder editorial explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "M24.076 — Loose body in unspecified toe joint(s)." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/m24.076-loose-body-in-unspecified-toe-joints

Change history

  • FY2026 — October 1, 2025
    Description revised
    Loose body in unspecified toe joints → Loose body in unspecified toe joint(s)
    FY2026 changes
  • FY2026 — October 1, 2025
    Short description revised
    Loose body in unspecified toe joints → Loose body in unspecified toe joint(s)
    FY2026 changes
  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Loose body in unspecified toe joints

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to M24.076 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the M24 family