ICDcodes.org
FY2027

M25.60 — Stiffness of unspecified joint, not elsewhere classified

BillableUnspecified

Is M25.60 billable?

Yes, but M25.60 is an unspecified code. M25.60 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, M25.60 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 M25.60 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.

M25.60 at a glance

CodeM25.60
DescriptionStiffness of unspecified joint, not elsewhere classified
BillableYes
Code setICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encountersOctober 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does M25.60 group to?

M25.60 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.

  • 555Signs and Symptoms of Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue with MCCmedical
  • 556Signs and Symptoms of Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue without MCCmedical

How is M25.60 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to M25.60. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

  • Stiffness, joint NEC

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M25.6

The conditions below can never be reported together with M25.60 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13

The conditions below are not part of M25.60, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M25.60 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 M25.60, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M25.60 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 M25.60, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M25.60 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-)

How long has M25.60 existed?

M25.60 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 conditions are coded to M25.60?

What other codes are in the M25.6 family? (8)