Skip to main content

Q68.0 ICD-10-CM Code: Congenital deformity of sternocleidomastoid muscle

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
3 inclusion terms · 1 Excludes1 · 1 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.

Excludes1Never report with this code
  • reduction defects of limb(s) (Q71-Q73)
Excludes2Not included here; may be reported together
  • congenital myotonic chondrodystrophy (G71.13)
IncludesWhat this code covers
  • Congenital contracture of sternocleidomastoid (muscle)
  • Congenital (sternomastoid) torticollis
  • Sternomastoid tumor (congenital)

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 Q68.0 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 Q68.0 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • Congenital contracture of sternocleidomastoid (muscle)
  • Congenital (sternomastoid) torticollis
  • Sternomastoid tumor (congenital)

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 Q68

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

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

Source: inherited from Q68

Coder workflow for Q68.0

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

Before you code Q68.0

  1. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with Q68.0. 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 a condition named in Q68.0’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 Q68.0. 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 Q68.0(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with Q68.0: 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 Q68.0(1 note)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in Q68.0. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareG71.13

    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: Both the condition Q68.0 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.

Don’t confuse Q68.0 with…

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

The codes most likely to be picked instead of Q68.0 — 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.

  • Q71— 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 reduction defects of limb(s) moves the case to Q71; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q68.0 vs Q71 →

  • Q73— 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 reduction defects of limb(s) moves the case to Q73; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: Q68.0 vs Q73 →

  • Q68.5— 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 “Congenital bowing of long bones of leg, unspecified” takes Q68.5; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: Q68.0 vs Q68.5 →

  • G71.13— 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 congenital myotonic chondrodystrophy adds G71.13; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: Q68.0 vs G71.13 →

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

Congenital deformity of sternocleidomastoid muscle is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Q68.0).

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

Other codes that name Q68.0 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 5 Excludes1 notes across 2 chapters: G24.3 — Spasmodic torticollis, M20 — Acquired deformities of fingers and toes (via Q68.-), M21 — Other acquired deformities of limbs (via Q68.-), M24.3 — Pathological dislocation of joint, not elsewhere classified (via Q68.-), M43.6 — Torticollis.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 2 Excludes2 notes across 2 chapters: M95 — Other acquired deformities of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (via Q68.-), Q79 — Congenital malformations of musculoskeletal system, not elsewhere classified.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

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):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).

Q66.92 — Congenital deformity of feet, unspecified, left foot, Q67.0 — Congenital facial asymmetry, Q67.1 — Congenital compression facies, Q67.2 — Dolichocephaly, Q67.3 — Plagiocephaly, 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, Q68.1 — 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, Q68.5 — Congenital bowing of long bones of leg, unspecified, Q68.6 — Discoid meniscus, Q68.8 — Other specified congenital musculoskeletal deformities, Q69.0 — Accessory finger(s), Q69.1 — Accessory thumb(s), Q69.2 — Accessory toe(s), +245 more

Same Index main term, other category

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

Q66.3 — Other congenital varus deformities of feet (foot, varus NEC), Q66.6 — Other congenital valgus deformities of feet (foot, valgus), Q66.80 — Congenital vertical talus deformity, unspecified foot (vertical talus), Q66.81 — Congenital vertical talus deformity, right foot (vertical talus, right foot), Q66.82 — Congenital vertical talus deformity, left foot (vertical talus, left foot), Q66.89 — Other specified congenital deformities of feet (foot, congenital NOS, specified type NEC), Q66.9 — Congenital deformity of feet, unspecified (toe, congenital), Q67.4 — Other congenital deformities of skull, face and jaw (nose, congenital, bent or squashed), Q67.5 — Congenital deformity of spine (spine, congenital), Q67.8 — Other congenital deformities of chest (chest, congenital), Q73.8 — Other reduction defects of unspecified limb(s) (reduction, congenital), Q74.0 — Other congenital malformations of upper limb(s), including shoulder girdle (Sprengel's), Q74.2 — Other congenital malformations of lower limb(s), including pelvic girdle (sacroiliac joint), Q74.9 — Unspecified congenital malformation of limb(s) (rotation, congenital), Q75.8 — Other specified congenital malformations of skull and face bones (head, congenital), Q76.1 — Klippel-Feil syndrome (Klippel-Feil), Q76.49 — Other congenital malformations of spine, not associated with scoliosis (lumbosacral), Q76.5 — Cervical rib (rib, congenital, cervical), Q76.6 — Other congenital malformations of ribs (rib, congenital), Q76.7 — Congenital malformation of sternum (sternum, congenital NEC), +405 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of Q68.0 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 Q68.0 with these 7 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

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

Index entries

  • Contraction, contracture, contracted (s), muscle NEC (postinfective) (postural), congenital, sternocleidomastoid[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Contraction, contracture, contracted (s), sternocleidomastoid, congenital (muscle)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Deformity, muscle (acquired), congenital, sternocleidomastoid[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Deformity, neck (acquired), congenital, sternocleidomastoid[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Deformity, sternocleidomastoid, congenital (muscle)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Torticollis (intermittent) (spastic), congenital (sternomastoid)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Tumor, sternomastoid (congenital)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027

Nearest codes

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.

Indexed Clinical Terms (7)

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.

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. "Q68.0 — Congenital deformity of sternocleidomastoid muscle." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/q68.0-congenital-deformity-of-sternocleidomastoid-muscle

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Congenital deformity of sternocleidomastoid muscle

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 Q68.0 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the Q68 family