Charcot's joint (neuropathic arthropathy) at an unspecified anatomic site — use only when the affected joint is not documented in the medical record.
Verified May 8, 2026 · 6 sources ↓
- Status
- Billable
- Chapter
- 13
- Related CPT
- 6
- Region
- General
Documentation tips
What should appear in the chart to support M14.60.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 6 cited references ↓
- Identify and record the specific joint affected — shoulder, knee, ankle/foot, etc. — to allow a site-specific M14.6x code instead of M14.60.
- Explicitly document the underlying neurologic cause (e.g., syringomyelia, non-syphilitic neuropathy) and confirm diabetes has been ruled out as the etiology.
- Record imaging findings: joint space destruction, bony fragmentation, periarticular hypertrophic changes, or Charcot-pattern deformity on X-ray or MRI.
- Note the stage of the process (acute vs. chronic/quiescent) to support medical necessity for the level of treatment rendered.
- If the patient has diabetes, the encounter note must explicitly link or unlink the Charcot process to the diabetes — that single determination drives the entire code selection.
Related CPT procedures
Procedure codes commonly billed with M14.60. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.
Source · CMS LCDs · AAOS specialty guidance · claims-pattern analysis
Common coding pitfalls
The recurring mistakes coders make with M14.60 and adjacent codes.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CDC ICD-10-CM tabular guidance, AAOS coding references, and cited references ↓
- Assigning M14.60 when the patient has diabetes: Charcot's joint in any diabetic patient maps to the E08–E13 combination code with .610 extension — M14.60 is excluded and cannot be billed for diabetic Charcot regardless of whether a site is specified.
- Using M14.60 instead of A52.16 for syphilitic Charcot (tabes dorsalis): the Excludes1 note at M14.6 prohibits M14.60 when tabes dorsalis is the documented cause.
- Stopping at M14.60 when the joint location is documented elsewhere in the record — chart review almost always reveals the site, enabling a more specific code.
- Confusing M14.60 with M14.69 (multiple sites): M14.60 means the site is unknown or unspecified, not that multiple joints are involved.
Clinical context
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 6 cited references ↓
M14.60 reports neuropathic arthropathy (Charcot's joint) when the treating provider has not specified which joint is involved. The condition involves progressive degeneration of a stress-bearing joint caused by loss of protective sensation, resulting in joint instability, bony fragmentation, and hypertrophic periarticular changes. Non-diabetic causes include syringomyelia, tabes dorsalis from non-syphilitic neurologic disease, and other peripheral neuropathies.
Two critical Excludes1 restrictions apply at the M14.6 parent level: Charcot's joint in diabetes mellitus must be coded instead to E08–E13 with the .610 combination code series, and Charcot's joint in tabes dorsalis (syphilitic) belongs at A52.16. Neither can be reported alongside M14.60 — they are mutually exclusive. If the chart documents diabetes as the underlying cause, M14.60 is the wrong code regardless of whether a specific joint is named.
In practice, M14.60 should be a last-resort code. The M14.6 subcategory offers site-specific options for every major joint group (shoulder M14.61x, elbow M14.62x, wrist M14.63x, hand M14.64x, hip M14.65x, knee M14.66x, ankle/foot M14.67x, vertebrae M14.68, multiple sites M14.69). Query the provider for joint location before defaulting to the unspecified-site code, as payers and auditors may flag M14.60 as lacking clinical specificity.
Sibling codes
Other billable codes under M14.6 (laterality / anatomic variants).
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 6 cited references ↓
01When is M14.60 the correct code rather than a site-specific M14.6x code?
02Can I use M14.60 for a patient with type 2 diabetes who has Charcot changes?
03What is the correct code when Charcot's joint is caused by tabes dorsalis from syphilis?
04Does M14.60 require a 7th-character extension?
05What MS-DRG does M14.60 group to?
06What is the difference between M14.60 and M14.69?
07Should I query the provider before submitting a claim with M14.60?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources. Last verified May 8, 2026.
- 01CDC ICD-10-CM Tabular List 2026 (effective Oct 1, 2025)
- 02icd10data.comhttps://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M05-M14/M14-/M14.60
- 03icd10data.comhttps://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M05-M14/M14-/M14.6
- 04aapc.comhttps://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M14.60
- 05vsac.nlm.nih.govhttps://vsac.nlm.nih.gov/context/cs/codesystem/ICD10CM/version/2023/code/M14.6/info
- 06cdek.pharmacy.purdue.eduhttps://cdek.pharmacy.purdue.edu/icd10/M14.6/
Mira AI Scribe
Mira AI Scribe captures the affected joint name, the confirmed underlying neurologic etiology, and explicit documentation that diabetes is not the cause — all from the provider's dictated or transcribed encounter note. That structured capture prevents defaulting to the unspecified-site code M14.60 when a site-specific M14.6x code is supportable, and it flags diabetic encounters for rerouting to the correct E0x–E13 combination code before the claim is submitted.
See how Mira captures M14.60 documentation