M96.679Fracture of tibia or fibula following insertion of orthopedic implant, joint prosthesis, or bone plate, unspecified leg

M96.679 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for fracture of tibia or fibula following insertion of orthopedic implant, joint prosthesis, or bone plate, unspecified leg. It belongs to category M96 (intraoperative and postprocedural complications and disorders of musculoskeletal system, not elsewhere classified), block M96 (intraoperative and postprocedural complications and disorders of musculoskeletal system, not elsewhere classified) and chapter 13 (diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue). It is billable, so it can be reported on its own for dates of service from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Within M96.67, choose M96.679 (unspecified leg) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: right leg (M96.671) and left leg (M96.672).

As a secondary diagnosis it is a CC (complication or comorbidity), which can move an inpatient stay into the "with CC" MS-DRG of its family, unless the principal diagnosis excludes it.

In MS-DRG v44.0, it is part of the grouping logic for DRG 559 (Aftercare, Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue with MCC, relative weight 1.8088), DRG 560 (Aftercare, Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue with CC, relative weight 1.1238) and DRG 561 (Aftercare, Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue without CC/MCC, relative weight 0.8258), in MDC 08 (Diseases and Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue), as a principal or secondary diagnosis. The DRG a claim lands in depends on the principal diagnosis, procedures and any CC/MCC secondary diagnoses.

It is an unspecified code for which a more specific option (often laterality) exists, and the Medicare Code Editor flags it for review on inpatient claims.

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

Before ICD-10, this condition was coded in ICD-9-CM as 996.49 (other mechanical complication of other internal orthopedic device, implant, and graft).