Is Q68.8 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes. Q68.8 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.

Where does Q68.8 sit in the tabular list?

Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-QA0), in the block Congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system (Q65-Q79).

What cannot be coded together with Q68.8?

Q68.8 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above Q68.8 (Q68) and apply to it just the same.

Q68.8

Q68.8 — Other specified congenital musculoskeletal deformities

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CMPOA exempt

Q68.8 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for other specified congenital musculoskeletal deformities. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Inclusion terms

Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.

Congenital deformity of clavicle
Congenital deformity of elbow
Congenital deformity of forearm
Congenital deformity of scapula
Congenital deformity of wrist
Congenital dislocation of elbow
Congenital dislocation of shoulder
Congenital dislocation of wrist

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above Q68.8

These are not written on Q68.8, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing Q68.8 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on Q68 — Other congenital musculoskeletal deformities

reduction defects of limb(s) (Q71-Q73)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above Q68.8

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of Q68.8, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on Q68 — Other congenital musculoskeletal deformities

congenital myotonic chondrodystrophy (G71.13)

Risk adjustment

Q68.8 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.

Medicare coverage

Q68.8 is named in 3 Medicare coverage policies — 3 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.

A53057Billing and Coding: Home Health Occupational Therapy
A53064Billing and Coding: Outpatient Occupational Therapy
A57204Billing and Coding: MRI and CT Scans of the Head and Neck

How Q68.8 is indexed

Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to Q68.8.

Arthrogryposis(congenital)
Cubitus›congenital
Dislocation›congenital NEC
Distortion›arm NEC
Distortion›femur NEC
Distortion›fibula NEC
Distortion›humerus NEC
Distortion›leg NEC
Distortion›radius NEC
Distortion›tibia NEC
Distortion›ulna NEC
Distortion›wrist(bones) (joint)

Code history

Q68.8 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share Q68. If Q68.8 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about Q68.8

Is Q68.8 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: Yes. Q68.8 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
Where does Q68.8 sit in the tabular list?: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-QA0), in the block Congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system (Q65-Q79).
What cannot be coded together with Q68.8?: Q68.8 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above Q68.8 (Q68) and apply to it just the same.