ICDcodes.org
FY2027

M25.4 — Effusion of joint

Not billable

Is M25.4 billable?

No — M25.4 is a non-billable header code. M25.4 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 26 billable codes beneath M25.4.

M25.4 at a glance

CodeM25.4
DescriptionEffusion of joint
BillableNo — header code
Code setICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encountersOctober 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with M25.4 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

  • hydrarthrosis in yaws (A66.6)
  • intermittent hydrarthrosis (M12.4-)
  • other infective (teno)synovitis (M65.1-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13

The conditions below are not part of M25.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M25.4 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 M20-M25

The conditions below are not part of M25.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M25.4 and the excluded code may both be reported.

  • joints of the spine (M40-M54)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from M25

The conditions below are not part of M25.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M25.4 and the excluded code may both be reported.

  • abnormality of gait and mobility (R26.-)
  • acquired deformities of limb (M20-M21)
  • calcification of bursa (M71.4-)
  • calcification of shoulder (joint) (M75.3)
  • calcification of tendon (M65.2-)
  • difficulty in walking (R26.2)
  • temporomandibular joint disorder (M26.6-)

What codes fall under M25.4? (9)

How long has M25.4 existed?

M25.4 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.

Which codes are confused with M25.4?

ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with M25.4 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.

What other codes are in the M25 family? (9)