M46.50

Billable

Other infective spondylopathies, site unspecified

HCC Category Mapping

V24HCC 40 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.307

ESRDHCC 40 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.000

What This Code Means

Other types of spine infections affecting the vertebrae and surrounding structures, with the specific spinal location not yet identified.

Coding Tips

•This is a placeholder code; assign a more specific anatomical site code (M46.51-M46.59) once the location is documented
•Use only when the spinal region cannot be determined from available documentation

Clinical Significance

Other infective spondylopathies represent non-pyogenic spinal infections requiring different treatment approaches than bacterial infections. These conditions still require prolonged therapy but may respond to antifungal or other specialized antimicrobial agents rather than standard antibiotics.

Documentation Requirements

✓Non-pyogenic infectious etiology (fungal, viral, parasitic)
✓Organism identification when possible
✓Imaging findings consistent with infection
✓Immunocompromised status if relevant
✓Geographic or exposure risk factors
✓Response to appropriate antimicrobial therapy
✓Duration of treatment required
✓Specific spinal location when documented

Commonly Confused Codes

M46.30 — Pyogenic disc infection when bacterial etiology M46.51-M46.59 — Site-specific codes when location is documented B49 — Unspecified mycosis when fungal infection is primary diagnosis M49.80 — Spondylopathy in diseases classified elsewhere when secondary

Code Hierarchy

└M46Other inflammatory spondylopathies └M46.5Other infective spondylopathies └M46.50Other infective spondylopathies, site unspecified

└M46.50Other infective spondylopathies, site unspecified