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M25.272 ICD-10-CM Code: Flail joint, left ankle and foot

Compare with another codeCheck 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
8 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; the Instructions section marks which is which.

Excludes2Not included here; may be reported together
  • abnormality of gait and mobility (R26.-)
  • acquired deformities of limb (M20-M21)
  • calcification of bursa (M71.4-)
  • calcification of shoulder (joint) (M75.3)

+4 more in Instructions

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 M25.272 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 M25.272 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

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

Coder workflow for M25.272

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

Before you code M25.272

  1. Laterality is coded in this family. Confirm the side documented — right, left, or bilateral — and select the matching code (this page’s code: left). 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).

    ReviewM25.271 · right, M25.279 · unspecified

    Guide: Laterality coding →

Choose the right path

  1. 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.

    ReviewM25.271 · right, M25.279 · unspecified

Consider M25.272. 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).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes2 — not part of M25.272(8 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in M25.272. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareR26, M71.4, M75.3, M65.2, R26.2, 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 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).

ReviewM25.271 · right, M25.279 · unspecified

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.

Coding context

The comparisons, hierarchy, index entries, guidelines, relationships, risk-adjustment and coverage context a coder commonly needs. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Don’t confuse M25.272 with…

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

The codes most likely to be picked instead of M25.272 — 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.

  • M25.279— Specificity relationship (Review)

    Overlapping diagnoses in the same category.

    Overlapping codes in the same category — the documentation decides which is the more specific fit.

    What moves you there: A record that documents no more than “Flail joint, unspecified ankle and foot” takes M25.279; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: M25.272 vs M25.279 →

  • M25.271— Laterality relationship (Review)

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

    The same condition on the other side; 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 M25.271.

    Full comparison: M25.272 vs M25.271 →

  • R26— 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 abnormality of gait and mobility adds R26; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M25.272 vs R26 →

  • M20— 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 acquired deformities of limb adds M20; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M25.272 vs M20 →

  • M21— 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 acquired deformities of limb adds M21; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M25.272 vs M21 →

  • M71.4— 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 calcification of bursa adds M71.4; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: M25.272 vs M71.4 →

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.

Code Overview

Flail joint, left ankle and foot is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M25.272).

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, opposite side

Same category and title, differing only in which side of the body is affected.

M25.271 — Flail joint, right ankle and foot (right)Compare M25.272 vs M25.271 →, M25.279 — Flail joint, unspecified ankle and foot (unspecified)Compare M25.272 vs M25.279 →

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 “Flail”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

M96.A4 — Flail chest associated with chest compression and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (chest, associated with chest compression and cardiopulmonary resuscitation), P13.8 — Birth injuries to other parts of skeleton (chest, newborn), S22.5 — Flail chest (chest)

Contextual Map

Every relationship of M25.272 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

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Deep reference

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 20, 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. "M25.272 — Flail joint, left ankle and foot." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/m25.272-flail-joint-left-ankle-and-foot

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Flail joint, left ankle and foot

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to M25.272 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the M25 family