M40.56 — Lordosis, unspecified, lumbar region
Is M40.56 billable?
Yes, but M40.56 is an unspecified code. M40.56 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, M40.56 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 M40.56 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
M40.56 at a glance
| Code | M40.56 |
|---|---|
| Description | Lordosis, unspecified, lumbar region |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does M40.56 group to?
M40.56 sits in MDC 08 and helps define the logic of 3 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 456Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection with MCCsurgical
- 457Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection with CCsurgical
- 458Spinal Fusion Except Cervical with Spinal Curvature, Malignancy, or Infection without CC/MCCsurgical
How is M40.56 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to M40.56. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Lordosis › lumbar region
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M40
The conditions below can never be reported together with M40.56 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Code first — inherited from M40
The underlying condition below must be sequenced before M40.56. M40.56 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
- underlying disease
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13
The conditions below are not part of M40.56, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M40.56 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)
How long has M40.56 existed?
M40.56 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.