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M65.02 ICD-10-CM Code: Abscess of tendon sheath, upper arm

Compare with another codeCheck this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
3 Excludes1 · 1 use-additional code

Not billable · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

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.

Use additional codeReport with this code when documented
  • code (B95-B96) to identify bacterial agent.
Excludes1Never report with this code
  • chronic crepitant synovitis of hand and wrist (M70.0-)
  • current injury - see injury of ligament or tendon by body region
  • soft tissue disorders related to use, overuse and pressure (M70.-)

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

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for M65.02 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 M65.02 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).

Source: inherited from M65

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code (B95-B96) to identify bacterial agent.

Source: inherited from M65.0

Coder workflow for M65.02

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

Before you code M65.02

  1. M65.02 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewM65.021, M65.022, M65.029

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with M65.02. 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 documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath M65.02?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → M65.02 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewM65.021, M65.022, M65.029

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in M65.02’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.

    ReviewM70.0, M70

Consider M65.02. Then work the Use Additional Code note, and 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).
Anatomical site
At the most specific level the record states; a site the classification separates cannot be assumed from a procedure or a measurement.
The conditions the Use Additional Code note names
Reported with this code when documented; a conditional instruction (“if applicable”, “if known”) applies only when the record supports it.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting M65.02(3 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with M65.02: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareM70.0, M70

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

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying M65.02(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with M65.02 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: Both the condition M65.02 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).

ReviewM70.0, M70

Documentation: A condition the Use Additional Code note names is documented.

Coding question: Is a second code reported with M65.02?

Path: Review the Use Additional Code note and the code it names.

Reason: The additional code is reported when the record documents the condition; a conditional instruction applies only when its condition is met (Guidelines I.A.13).

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 M65.02 with…

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

The codes most likely to be picked instead of M65.02 — 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.

  • M70.0— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of chronic crepitant synovitis of hand and wrist moves the case to M70.0; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: M65.02 vs M70.0 →

  • M70— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of chronic crepitant synovitis of hand and wrist moves the case to M70; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: M65.02 vs M70 →

  • M65.00— 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 “Abscess of tendon sheath, unspecified site” takes M65.00; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: M65.02 vs M65.00 →

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

Abscess of tendon sheath, upper arm is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M65.02). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

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

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

Related Codes

Same Index main term, other category

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

L02.91 — Cutaneous abscess, unspecified, L04.0 — Acute lymphadenitis of face, head and neck (neck, lymph gland or node), L04.1 — Acute lymphadenitis of trunk (inguinal, lymph gland or node), L04.2 — Acute lymphadenitis of upper limb (axilla, lymph gland or node), L05.01 — Pilonidal cyst with abscess (pilonidal), L74.8 — Other eccrine sweat disorders (sweat gland), L75.8 — Other apocrine sweat disorders (sudoriparous), M00.9 — Pyogenic arthritis, unspecified (knee, joint), M27.2 — Inflammatory conditions of jaws (jaw), M46.28 — Osteomyelitis of vertebra, sacral and sacrococcygeal region (sacrum, nontuberculous), M71.00 — Abscess of bursa, unspecified site (bursa), M71.01 — Abscess of bursa, shoulder (bursa, shoulder), M71.02 — Abscess of bursa, elbow (bursa, elbow), M71.03 — Abscess of bursa, wrist (bursa, wrist), M71.04 — Abscess of bursa, hand (bursa, hand), M71.05 — Abscess of bursa, hip (bursa, hip), M71.06 — Abscess of bursa, knee (bursa, knee), M71.07 — Abscess of bursa, ankle and foot (bursa, foot), M71.08 — Abscess of bursa, other site (bursa, specified site NEC), M71.09 — Abscess of bursa, multiple sites (bursa, multiple sites), +151 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of M65.02 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

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

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.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can M65.02 be billed directly?

No. M65.02 (Abscess of tendon sheath, upper arm) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

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
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. "M65.02 — Abscess of tendon sheath, upper arm." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/m65.02-abscess-of-tendon-sheath-upper-arm

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Abscess of tendon sheath, upper arm

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 M65.02 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the M65 family