M94.8X9 — Other specified disorders of cartilage, unspecified sites

BillableUnspecified

Is M94.8X9 billable?

Yes, but M94.8X9 is an unspecified code. M94.8X9 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, M94.8X9 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 M94.8X9 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.

More specific alternatives

M94.8X9 at a glance

Code	M94.8X9
Description	Other specified disorders of cartilage, unspecified sites
Billable	Yes
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does M94.8X9 group to?

M94.8X9 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.

564Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with MCCmedical
565Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses with CCmedical
566Other Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue Diagnoses without CC/MCCmedical

How is M94.8X9 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to M94.8X9. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

Chondritis

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M91-M94

The conditions below can never be reported together with M94.8X9 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

postprocedural chondropathies (M96.-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13

The conditions below are not part of M94.8X9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M94.8X9 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 M94.8X9 existed?

M94.8X9 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 M94.8X9?

ICD-10 code for Chondritisdefault code