FY2027
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Excludes1 pair

M50- vs S13.0-

M50 and S13.0 are not coded together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note — the two conditions are not expected to occur together, so exactly one of them is normally correct for a given encounter. The Official Guidelines carve out one exception: if the two conditions are clearly unrelated to each other, both may be reported.

The official note, declared on S13.0
rupture or displacement (nontraumatic) of cervical intervertebral disc NOS (M50.-)
M50

Cervical disc disorders

Not billable
Chapter 13
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
Section
M50-M54
Use when the record says
  • cervicothoracic disc disorders with cervicalgia
  • cervicothoracic disc disorders
S13.0

Traumatic rupture of cervical intervertebral disc

Not billable
Chapter 19
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Section
S10-S19
Indexed under
  • Rupture, ruptured › traumatic › intervertebral disc › cervical

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