M43.6 vs P15.2
M43.6 and P15.2 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
The official note, declared on M43.6
torticollis due to birth injury (P15.2)
M43.6
Torticollis
Billable
- Chapter 13
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
- Section
- M40-M43
Indexed under
- Grisel's disease
- Torticollis (intermittent) (spastic)
- Disease, diseased › Grisel's
- Nasopharyngeal › torticollis
- Rheumatic › torticollis (acute) (subacute)
P15.2
Sternomastoid injury due to birth injury
Billable
- Chapter 16
- Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
- Section
- P10-P15
Indexed under
- Hematoma › sternocleidomastoid, birth injury (traumatic) (skin surface intact)
- Hematoma › sternomastoid, birth injury (traumatic) (skin surface intact)
- Birth › injury NOS › sternomastoid
These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.
Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027