ICDcodes.org
FY2027

M51.A0 — Intervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, lumbar region, unspecified size

BillableUnspecified

Is M51.A0 billable?

Yes, but M51.A0 is an unspecified code. M51.A0 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, M51.A0 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 M51.A0 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.

M51.A0 at a glance

CodeM51.A0
DescriptionIntervertebral annulus fibrosus defect, lumbar region, unspecified size
BillableYes
Code setICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encountersOctober 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does M51.A0 group to?

M51.A0 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.

  • 551Medical Back Problems with MCCmedical
  • 552Medical Back Problems without MCCmedical

How is M51.A0 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to M51.A0. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

  • Defect, defective › intervertebral annular fibrosis › lumbar

Code first

The underlying condition below must be sequenced before M51.A0. M51.A0 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M50-M54

The conditions below can never be reported together with M51.A0 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.A0, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M51.A0 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.A0, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M51.A0 and the excluded code may both be reported.

  • cervical and cervicothoracic disc disorders (M50.-)
  • sacral and sacrococcygeal disorders (M53.3)

How long has M51.A0 existed?

M51.A0 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.

Which conditions are coded to M51.A0?

What other codes are in the M51.A family? (5)