M51.A — Other lumbar and lumbosacral annulus fibrosus disc defects
Is M51.A billable?
No — M51.A is a non-billable header code. M51.A 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 6 billable codes beneath M51.A.
Billable codes under this header
- M51.A0Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, lumbar region, unspecified size
- M51.A1Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, small, lumbar region
- M51.A2Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, large, lumbar region
- M51.A3Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, lumbosacral region, unspecified size
- M51.A4Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, small, lumbosacral region
- M51.A5Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, large, lumbosacral region
M51.A at a glance
| Code | M51.A |
|---|---|
| Description | Other lumbar and lumbosacral annulus fibrosus disc defects |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M50-M54
The conditions below can never be reported together with M51.A on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- current injury - see injury of spine by body region
- discitis NOS (M46.4-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13
The conditions below are not part of M51.A, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M51.A 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 M51
The conditions below are not part of M51.A, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M51.A and the excluded code may both be reported.
What codes fall under M51.A? (6)
- M51.A0Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, lumbar region, unspecified size
- M51.A1Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, small, lumbar region
- M51.A2Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, large, lumbar region
- M51.A3Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, lumbosacral region, unspecified size
- M51.A4Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, small, lumbosacral region
- M51.A5Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, large, lumbosacral region
How long has M51.A existed?
M51.A first appears in FY2023.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
What other codes are in the M51 family? (7)
- M51.0Thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with myelopathynot billable
- M51.1Thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathynot billable
- M51.2Other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc displacementnot billable
- M51.3Other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc degenerationnot billable
- M51.4Schmorl's nodesnot billable
- M51.8Other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disordersnot billable
- M51.9Unspecified thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorder