Q67.3 ICD-10-CM Code: Plagiocephaly
Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.
Coding at a Glance
- Tabular directives
- 4 Excludes1
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 v43, 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 Q67.3 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.
Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025
Notes without a marker are published on Q67.3 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).
- coronal craniosynostosis (Q75.02-) Compare Q67.3 vs Q75.02 →
- lambdoid craniosynostosis (Q75.04-) Compare Q67.3 vs Q75.04 →
- congenital malformation syndromes classified to Q87.- inherited from Q67
- Potter's syndrome (Q60.6) inherited from Q67Compare Q67.3 vs Q60.6 →
Coder workflow for Q67.3
MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record
Before you code Q67.3
- Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with Q67.3. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
Choose the right path
- Does the documentation support a condition named in Q67.3’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.
Consider Q67.3. 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).
Official instructions as workflow
Excludes1 — check before selecting Q67.3(4 notes)
Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with Q67.3: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.
CompareQ75.02, Q75.04, Q87, Q60.6
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a
Coding decision scenarios
Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases
Documentation: Both the condition Q67.3 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).
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.
Code Overview
MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.
Indexed Clinical Terms (1)
Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing
Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.
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 structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets
Other codes that name Q67.3 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.
Referenced by 4 Excludes1 notes across 2 chapters: M24.3 — Pathological dislocation of joint, not elsewhere classified (via Q67.-), Q18 — Other congenital malformations of face and neck, Q75 — Other congenital malformations of skull and face bones, Q75.01 — Sagittal craniosynostosis.
These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.
Referenced by 1 Excludes2 note: M95 — Other acquired deformities of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (via Q67.-).
These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.
MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2026)
Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.
FY2026 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):MAL008 — Musculoskeletal congenital conditions (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 clinical category (CCSR)
AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Musculoskeletal congenital conditions).
Q66.81 — Congenital vertical talus deformity, right foot, Q66.82 — Congenital vertical talus deformity, left foot, Q66.89 — Other specified congenital deformities of feet, Q66.9 — Congenital deformity of feet, unspecified, Q66.90 — Congenital deformity of feet, unspecified, unspecified foot, Q66.91 — Congenital deformity of feet, unspecified, right foot, Q66.92 — Congenital deformity of feet, unspecified, left foot, Q67.0 — Congenital facial asymmetry, Q67.1 — Congenital compression facies, Q67.2 — Dolichocephaly, Q67.4 — Other congenital deformities of skull, face and jaw, Q67.5 — Congenital deformity of spine, Q67.6 — Pectus excavatum, Q67.7 — Pectus carinatum, Q67.8 — Other congenital deformities of chest, Q68.0 — Congenital deformity of sternocleidomastoid muscle, Q68.1 — Congenital deformity of finger(s) and hand, Q68.2 — Congenital deformity of knee, Q68.3 — Congenital bowing of femur, Q68.4 — Congenital bowing of tibia and fibula, +245 more
Same Index main term, other category
The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Plagiocephaly”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.
Q75.021 — Coronal craniosynostosis, unilateral (non-deformational, anterior), Q75.04 — Lambdoid craniosynostosis (non-deformational, posterior)
Contextual Map
Every relationship of Q67.3 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.
Run Q67.3 with these 7 related codes in Claim Check
Hierarchy
- Q00-QA1 — Chapter 17: Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities (Q00-QA1) (Q00-QA1)[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q65-Q79 — Congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
Excludes1
- Q75.02 — Coronal craniosynostosis[Excludes1]: “coronal craniosynostosis (Q75.02-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q75.04 — Lambdoid craniosynostosis[Excludes1]: “lambdoid craniosynostosis (Q75.04-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Excludes1 notes
- M24.3 — Pathological dislocation of joint, not elsewhere classified[Excludes1](via Q67.-): “congenital dislocation or displacement of joint- see congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system (Q65-Q79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q18 — Other congenital malformations of face and neck[Excludes1]: “conditions classified to Q67.0-Q67.4”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q75 — Other congenital malformations of skull and face bones[Excludes1]: “musculoskeletal deformities of head and face (Q67.0-Q67.4)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q75.01 — Sagittal craniosynostosis[Excludes1]: “plagiocephaly (Q67.3)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Excludes2 notes
- M95 — Other acquired deformities of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue[Excludes2](via Q67.-): “congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system (Q65-Q79)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Clinical classification (CCSR)
- MAL008 — Musculoskeletal congenital conditions[CCSR]— AHRQ CCSR for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses (HCUP)
MS-DRG Grouper
- DRG 564 — OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITH MCC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 08)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
- DRG 565 — OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITH CC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 08)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
- DRG 566 — OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 08)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2026
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. 18,508 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026
Index entries
- Plagiocephaly[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
Nearest codes (9)
- Q67 — Congenital musculoskeletal deformities of head, face, spine and chest[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.0 — Congenital facial asymmetry[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.1 — Congenital compression facies[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.2 — Dolichocephaly[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.4 — Other congenital deformities of skull, face and jaw[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.5 — Congenital deformity of spine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.6 — Pectus excavatum[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- Q67.7 — Pectus carinatum[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- and 1 more
Change history
- FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016
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 FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Claim edits Official source data
- CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 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 — v43 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 structured 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 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.
Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates
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. "Q67.3 — Plagiocephaly." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/q67.3-plagiocephaly
Change history
- FY2016 — October 1, 2015In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoptionPlagiocephaly
No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), 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 Q67.3 in its code family, with their registry titles.
- Q67 — Congenital musculoskeletal deformities of head, face, spine and chest
- Q67.0 — Congenital facial asymmetry
- Q67.1 — Congenital compression facies
- Q67.2 — Dolichocephaly
- Q67.4 — Other congenital deformities of skull, face and jaw
- Q67.5 — Congenital deformity of spine
- Q67.6 — Pectus excavatum
- Q67.7 — Pectus carinatum
- Q67.8 — Other congenital deformities of chest