2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M84.453APathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture

ICD-10-CM Codes›M00–M99›M80-M85›M84

ICD-10-CM M84.453A
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

M84.453A is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for pathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture. The 7th character A marks it as an initial encounter code, used while the patient is receiving active treatment. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 521 through 522, 542 through 544. The code is flagged as an unspecified code, since codes identifying laterality exist in the same family. Coders also document this condition as osteoporotic fracture of femur. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Pathological fracture, initial encounter.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
M84.453A
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Pathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture
Short Description
Pathological fracture, unsp femur, init encntr for fracture
Parent Code
M84.453
Pathological fracture, unspecified femur

Code Classification

ChapterM00–M99Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
SectionM80-M85Disorders of bone density and structure
CategoryM84Disorder of continuity of bone
This CodeM84.453APathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for M84.453A.

Unspecified codes
Unspecified codes exist in the ICD-10-CM classification for circumstances when documentation in the medical record does not provide the level of detail needed to support reporting a more specific code. However, in the inpatient setting, there should generally be very limited and rare circumstances for which the laterality (right, left, bilateral) of a condition is unable to be documented and reported. The following pages contain the list of unspecified ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for which there is a more specific code to identify laterality (right, left, bilateral) within that code family.

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Osteoporotic fracture of femur
  • Osteoporotic fracture of neck of femur
  • Osteoporotic fracture of proximal femur
  • Pathological fracture of femur
  • Pathological fracture of neck of femur
  • Pathological fracture of pelvis
  • Pathological fracture of pelvis and femur
  • Pathological fracture of proximal end of femur
  • Stress fracture of neck of femur

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR MUS014
Pathological fracture, initial encounter
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Patient EducationClinical

Fractures

A fracture is a break in a bone. Fractures are usually caused by injuries. Since they can sometimes be serious, it's important to get medical care right away if you think you have a fracture.

The full article covers:

  • What is a fracture?
  • What are the different types of fractures?
  • What causes fractures?
  • What are the symptoms of a fracture?
  • How are fractures diagnosed?
  • What are the treatments for fractures?
  • Can fractures be prevented?

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert M84.453A to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
733.15 Path fx oth spcf prt fmr
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About M84.453AOverview

Is M84.453A (Pathological fracture, unspecified femur) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report pathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What does the 7th character A in M84.453A mean?

The final character A marks the initial encounter: use it while the patient is receiving active treatment for pathological fracture, unspecified femur, such as an emergency visit or first evaluation.

What MS-DRG does M84.453A group to?

When pathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 521, 522, 542, 543, 544, with relative weights from 0.7546 to 2.8702 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of M84.453A?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, pathological fracture, unspecified femur, initial encounter for fracture converts to ICD-9-CM 733.15 (path fx oth spcf prt fmr). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.