M19.279 — Secondary osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle and foot
Is M19.279 billable?
Yes, but M19.279 is an unspecified code. M19.279 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, M19.279 is an unspecified or catch-all code. Payers apply additional scrutiny to unspecified codes and many deny them when the medical record supports a more specific option, so check the documentation before selecting M19.279 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
M19.279 at a glance
| Code | M19.279 |
|---|---|
| Description | Secondary osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle and foot |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does M19.279 group to?
M19.279 sits in MDC 08 and helps define the logic of 2 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 553Bone Diseases and Arthropathies with MCCmedical
- 554Bone Diseases and Arthropathies without MCCmedical
How is M19.279 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
The Alphabetic Index lists these routes under M19.27, the nearest indexed parent of M19.279. Use them to find the family, then select the specific code.
- Osteoarthritis › ankle › secondary
- Osteoarthritis › foot joint › secondary
- Osteoarthritis › secondary › ankle
- Osteoarthritis › secondary › foot joint
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M19
The conditions below can never be reported together with M19.279 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- polyarthritis (M15.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13
The conditions below are not part of M19.279, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M19.279 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- arthropathic psoriasis (L40.5-)
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- compartment syndrome (traumatic) (T79.A-)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from M15-M19
The conditions below are not part of M19.279, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M19.279 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- osteoarthritis of spine (M47.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from M19
The conditions below are not part of M19.279, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M19.279 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has M19.279 existed?
M19.279 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.