Plantar Fasciitis ICD-10 Code Change: M72.2 Is Deleted October 1, 2026

What Is Changing With the Plantar Fasciitis ICD-10 Code in 2026?

As of October 1, 2026, the ICD-10-CM code M72.2 is deleted and plantar fasciitis is removed as an inclusion term under it. Plantar fasciitis moves to its own laterality-specific codes under M67.A: M67.A01 for the right foot, M67.A02 for the left foot, and M67.A09 for unspecified. The old M72.2 code splits into M72.20, M72.21, and M72.22, but those codes now apply only to plantar fascial fibromatosis (Ledderhose disease), not plantar fasciitis. Any claim submitted with M72.2 for a date of service on or after October 1 will reject.

• Deadline: October 1, 2026. The new codes apply to all encounters from that date forward, regardless of when the plan of care started.
• New codes: M67.A01 (right foot), M67.A02 (left foot), M67.A09 (unspecified). Laterality is now built into the code itself.
• What M72.2 becomes: M72.2 is deleted entirely. Plantar fascial fibromatosis (Ledderhose disease) moves to M72.20, M72.21, and M72.22. These codes do not apply to plantar fasciitis.

What the FY2027 ICD-10-CM Update Changes

The FY2027 ICD-10-CM update, finalized by CMS and effective for all patient encounters on or after October 1, 2026, adds 190 new diagnosis codes, deletes 30, and revises 4. For chiropractic practices, the most operationally significant change is the separation of plantar fasciitis from plantar fascial fibromatosis, two clinically distinct conditions that have shared the same code since ICD-10-CM launched in October 2015.

For eleven years, plantar fasciitis has been coded under M72.2, a code whose official descriptor is “plantar fascial fibromatosis.” Plantar fasciitis was listed as an inclusion term, meaning coders were directed to use M72.2 even though plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the plantar fascia) and plantar fascial fibromatosis (a nodular fibrotic condition, also called Ledderhose disease) are different pathologies. The Illinois Chiropractic Society flagged this change on September 20, 2026, noting that plantar fasciitis now gets its own codes under M67.A, with right and left laterality built in.

StatPearls identifies plantar fasciitis as the most common cause of heel pain in the outpatient setting, accounting for roughly one million patient visits per year in the United States. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons puts the annual treatment figure at about two million patients. For chiropractic practices that treat foot and ankle complaints, this is not a niche change. It touches a diagnosis that appears regularly on superbills and treatment plans.

How Do the New Plantar Fasciitis Codes Map to the Old Ones?

The code change is a clean split. M72.2 is deleted and replaced by two separate code families: one for plantar fasciitis and one for plantar fascial fibromatosis. The table below shows exactly how each condition maps before and after October 1, 2026.

The key point for chiropractic billing teams is that M67.A sits in a completely different section of ICD-10-CM than M72. Plantar fasciitis moves from the fibroblastic disorders block (M70 to M79) to the synovium and tendon block (M65 to M67). The chapter and category both change. This matters for any automated coding logic, crosswalk, or superbill template that maps a diagnosis description to a code. If the system is not updated, a biller selecting “plantar fasciitis” from a dropdown may still pull M72.2, which will reject on claims with service dates on or after October 1.

What Happens If Your Practice Still Bills M72.2 After October 1?

Any claim submitted with ICD-10-CM code M72.2 for a date of service on or after October 1, 2026 will reject at the clearinghouse or deny at the payer because the code no longer exists in the active code set. The rejection is automatic. It does not matter that M72.2 was valid for the previous eleven years. The FY2027 code set replaces FY2026 on October 1, and payer adjudication systems update to match.

The most common mistake we see chiropractic practices run into with annual code changes is not the change itself but the timing. The code set follows the date of service, not the date of the claim submission. A patient who started a treatment plan in September and continues into October needs the new code starting with the first October visit. A claim for a September 30 visit can still use M72.2. A claim for an October 1 visit cannot. Every active plan of care that crosses the transition date needs the diagnosis updated for all encounters from that date forward.

In our experience matching chiropractic providers with billing companies, the transition-date claims are where the denials cluster. Practices that update their superbills and EHR templates before October 1 avoid the problem entirely. Practices that discover the change in November, after a stack of rejected claims, spend weeks on rework and resubmissions that should not have been necessary. For a full list of the chiropractic procedure codes that pair with these diagnoses, see our chiropractic CPT codes guide.

How to Update Your Chiropractic Billing Before October 1

The remap from M72.2 to the M67.A family is small but must be completed before the first October encounter. Here is what to do.

1. Update your superbill. Remove M72.2 from the plantar fasciitis line and replace it with M67.A01 (right), M67.A02 (left), and M67.A09 (unspecified). If your superbill also carries plantar fascial fibromatosis, update that line to M72.20, M72.21, or M72.22.
2. Update your EHR diagnosis favorites and templates. Search your saved diagnosis list for M72.2 and replace every instance. Check any macro, template, or order set that auto-populates a plantar fasciitis diagnosis.
3. Notify your billing team or billing company. Confirm they are aware of the code deletion and have updated their crosswalk. A billing company that handles chiropractic claims should already have this on their transition checklist.
4. Review every active plan of care that includes M72.2. Any patient currently under treatment for plantar fasciitis whose next visit falls on or after October 1 needs the diagnosis updated to the M67.A code that matches the documented side.
5. Document laterality on every plantar fasciitis encounter. The new codes require right, left, or unspecified. Get in the habit of documenting the affected foot in the clinical note now, before the transition, so the laterality is there when the code demands it.
6. Run a test claim through your clearinghouse on or shortly after October 1. Submit a plantar fasciitis claim with M67.A01 and confirm it passes the code validation edit. This catches any system that has not updated its code tables.

Common Mistakes With Annual Code Transitions

Across the billing companies we vet for chiropractic practices, annual ICD-10 code transitions surface the same handful of errors every year. The plantar fasciitis change will trigger each one if the practice does not prepare.

The first mistake is assuming the EHR handles it automatically. Some EHR platforms push code-set updates automatically, but many require manual activation or a settings change by the practice. If the practice does not confirm the update, the old code persists in the system and gets billed on every claim until someone notices the rejections.

The second mistake is updating the superbill but not the treatment plan. A patient with an active plan of care that lists M72.2 will continue to pull that code unless the plan itself is updated. The superbill change catches new encounters, but ongoing cases need their diagnosis edited individually.

The third mistake is selecting M67.A09 (unspecified foot) as the default to avoid documenting laterality. Payers increasingly flag unspecified codes for medical necessity review, and coding guidelines direct the coder to the highest level of documented specificity. If the provider documents the right foot, M67.A01 is the correct code. Using unspecified when laterality is known invites denials and audit risk.

In-House Billing vs. Outsourced for Code Updates

One question we hear constantly from chiropractic practice managers is whether their in-house biller can handle annual code transitions or whether this is the kind of work that justifies outsourcing. The honest answer depends on volume and vigilance.

An in-house biller who monitors CMS code-set releases, updates superbills and templates before October 1, and audits claims for the first two weeks after the transition can handle the M72.2 change without issue. The problem is that most solo or small-group chiropractic practices do not have that biller. The front-desk staff member who also handles billing is unlikely to track the FY2027 ICD-10-CM addenda or know that M72.2 is being deleted until claims start bouncing.

A chiropractic-focused billing company monitors these changes as part of its standard operating procedure. Code-set updates, payer policy bulletins, and LCD revisions are tracked on a rolling basis, and the crosswalk gets updated before the effective date, not after the first denial. Providers often come to us after exactly this kind of transition, when a code change they did not catch has generated weeks of rejected claims. Getting matched with the right billing partner before the transition is the most efficient path. Billing Service Quotes has matched more than 2,000 providers across all 50 states with vetted billing companies, with over 15 years in the industry and rates starting as low as 2.95%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

• For the full list of procedure codes used in chiropractic billing, see our chiropractic CPT codes guide.
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• Ready to get matched with a chiropractic billing company that stays current on every ICD-10 update? Get a free quote today.