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M54

M54Dorsalgia

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

M54 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for dorsalgia. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.

Excludes1 — never code together

These conditions cannot occur together. Billing both on the same encounter is a denial.

  • psychogenic dorsalgia (F45.41)

Other codes that can never be billed with M54

These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at M54. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading M54 alone.

  • L95Vasculitis limited to skin, not elsewhere classified
  • M51.1Thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy
  • M54.3Sciatica
  • M54.5Low back pain
  • M54.8Other dorsalgia
  • M79.2Neuralgia and neuritis, unspecified
  • M79.3Panniculitis, unspecified
  • R52Pain, unspecified

Risk adjustment

M54 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.

Code to one of these instead M54

9 child codes. Green means billable.

Questions about M54

Is M54 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
No. M54 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
Where does M54 sit in the tabular list?
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99), in the block Other dorsopathies (M50-M54).
What cannot be coded together with M54?
M54 carries an Excludes1 note, which means the conditions it lists can never be coded together with it on the same encounter.
ICD-10-CMFY2026-Apr· effective April 1, 2026

Loaded directly from the CMS/NCHS ICD-10-CM public-domain release — see data sources and our editorial policy. If this page disagrees with the CMS tabular list, this page is wrong. Reference information for professional coders; not medical or billing advice.