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

What Is the New ICD-10 Code for Plantar Fasciitis?

As of October 1, 2026, the FY 2027 ICD-10-CM update deletes M72.2 (plantar fascial fibromatosis, which included plantar fasciitis) and replaces it with laterality-specific codes. Plantar fasciitis is now coded as M67.A01 for the right foot, M67.A02 for the left foot, and M67.A09 when the side is unspecified. Claims submitted with M72.2 for encounters on or after October 1, 2026 will be denied automatically.

What was deleted:
M72.2, which previously covered both plantar fasciitis and plantar fascial fibromatosis under a single code without laterality.

What replaced it:
Plantar fasciitis moves to M67.A01 (right), M67.A02 (left), and M67.A09 (unspecified). Plantar fascial fibromatosis gets its own codes at M72.20, M72.21, and M72.22.

What to do now:
Update your EHR templates, superbills, and coding references before October 1, 2026. Any claim using M72.2 on or after that date will reject.

What Changed on October 1, 2026

The FY 2027 ICD-10-CM update, released by CMS on June 5, 2026, takes effect for all patient encounters on or after October 1, 2026. The update adds 190 new diagnosis codes, deletes 30, and revises 4 code descriptions. For podiatry practices, the most operationally significant change is the deletion of M72.2 and its replacement with separate, laterality-specific codes for plantar fasciitis and plantar fascial fibromatosis.

Under the old code set, M72.2 covered both plantar fasciitis and plantar fascial fibromatosis (Ledderhose disease) under a single code. It did not require laterality. A podiatrist treating left foot plantar fasciitis and a podiatrist treating right foot plantar fascial fibromatosis both reported M72.2. Starting October 1, those are four different codes across two different subcategories. The new structure requires the practice to document which condition is being treated and which foot is affected. Claims that do not specify laterality will default to the unspecified code, which is a weaker claim from both a reimbursement and audit perspective.

This is not a minor administrative update. Plantar fasciitis is one of the highest-volume diagnoses in podiatry. Practices that see 15 to 25 plantar fasciitis patients per week need every one of those encounters coded correctly starting October 1, and every claim submitted with M72.2 on or after that date will be rejected by the clearinghouse or denied by the payer.

Which Podiatry Practices Are Affected?

Every podiatry practice that treats plantar fasciitis, plantar fascial fibromatosis, or both is affected by this code change. That covers virtually every podiatry practice in the country. There is no opt-in, no phase-in period, and no grace period. The boundary is the date of service: a September 30, 2026 encounter uses the old code set, and an October 1, 2026 encounter uses the new one, regardless of when the claim is submitted.

Practices billing Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payers are all subject to the same ICD-10-CM code set. There is no payer-specific exception. If your podiatry billing and coding workflow still references M72.2 for plantar fasciitis, it needs to be updated before the first patient encounter in October.

The practices at highest risk are those using older EHR systems that do not auto-update code sets, practices with paper superbills that still list M72.2, and practices where the coding is handled by front desk staff who may not be aware of the annual code set change. In our experience matching providers with billing partners, the October code set transition catches more practices off guard than any other annual billing event. The code files are released months in advance, but the update does not become operationally real for many practices until the first claim denies.

The New Code Structure Explained

The FY 2027 update splits what was previously a single code into two separate conditions, each with laterality. Here is the complete mapping.

Condition	Through Sept 30, 2026	From Oct 1, 2026	Laterality Required
Plantar fasciitis, right foot	M72.2	M67.A01	Yes
Plantar fasciitis, left foot	M72.2	M67.A02	Yes
Plantar fasciitis, unspecified	M72.2	M67.A09	No (weaker claim)
Plantar fascial fibromatosis, unspecified	M72.2	M72.20	No
Plantar fascial fibromatosis, right foot	M72.2	M72.21	Yes
Plantar fascial fibromatosis, left foot	M72.2	M72.22	Yes

Notice that plantar fasciitis and plantar fascial fibromatosis are now in completely different code subcategories. Plantar fasciitis moves to M67.A (other specified disorders of synovium and tendon), while plantar fascial fibromatosis stays in M72 (fibroblastic disorders) but gets its own laterality-specific codes. This separation matters for documentation because the two conditions have different clinical presentations, different treatment pathways, and different medical necessity justifications.

How to Update Your Billing Before October 1

The code set transition happens on a single date with no overlap period. Here is how to prepare your practice.

1. Update your EHR code tables. Most modern EHR systems receive annual ICD-10-CM updates automatically, but you need to verify that the update has been applied and that M72.2 is no longer available for encounters on or after October 1. Run a test claim internally to confirm.
2. Replace M72.2 on all superbills and encounter forms. If your practice uses printed or PDF superbills, remove M72.2 and add M67.A01, M67.A02, M67.A09, M72.20, M72.21, and M72.22. Providers need to circle the correct laterality at the time of service.
3. Update your documentation templates. Ensure your clinical note templates prompt the provider to document laterality for plantar fasciitis and plantar fascial fibromatosis. A note that says “bilateral plantar fasciitis” should generate two codes: M67.A01 and M67.A02, not M67.A09.
4. Brief your clinical and billing staff. Every person who touches a diagnosis code needs to know that M72.2 is gone. A five-minute team huddle before October 1 prevents weeks of denied claims and rework.
5. Check your clearinghouse scrubber settings. Your clearinghouse should flag M72.2 as a deleted code for any October encounter. Confirm that the scrubber rules have been updated to reject claims with deleted codes before they reach the payer.
6. Review any pending claims that cross the October 1 boundary. If a patient was seen in September and the claim has not yet been submitted, it still uses M72.2. If the patient returns in October, the new visit uses the FY 2027 codes. Do not backdate codes.

Common Mistakes With This Code Change

Across the billing companies we vet, a recurring pattern with annual ICD-10 updates is that the code files change on schedule, but the practice workflows do not. Here are the specific mistakes that will cost podiatry practices money starting in October.

• Using M72.2 on October encounters. This is the most obvious error, but it will be the most common. M72.2 is deleted. Any claim submitted with it for an October 1 or later encounter will deny. The fix is simple: search your billing system for any October encounter coded with M72.2 and remap it before submission.
• Defaulting to M67.A09 (unspecified). When laterality-specific codes are available, using the unspecified version is a compliance risk. Payers treat unspecified codes as incomplete documentation. A claim for M67.A09 when the clinical note clearly states “right foot plantar fasciitis” invites a review or a reduced payment. Always code to the highest level of specificity the documentation supports.
• Confusing plantar fasciitis with plantar fascial fibromatosis. These are now in different code subcategories. Plantar fasciitis (M67.A) is an overuse condition of the plantar fascia. Plantar fascial fibromatosis, or Ledderhose disease (M72.20-M72.22), is a fibroblastic growth condition. Coding one as the other will trigger a medical necessity mismatch if the treatment documented does not align with the diagnosis category.
• Not updating nail debridement and wound care encounter forms at the same time. While plantar fasciitis is the headline change, the FY 2027 update affects 190 codes total. Any encounter form that has not been reviewed against the full update may carry other deleted or revised codes that cause denials on completely unrelated claims.

In-House vs. Outsourced Code Updates

For podiatry practices that handle billing in-house, the October code set transition is a staff training and systems update project that happens every year. The burden is manageable for a practice with a dedicated billing coordinator who monitors CMS releases. For solo practitioners or small practices where the physician is also the biller, keeping up with 190 new codes, 30 deletions, and the associated documentation changes is a different level of effort.

Providers often come to us after an annual code set update has already caused a wave of denials. The pattern is predictable: the practice does not update in time, claims deny for 2 to 4 weeks before anyone notices, and by the time the codes are corrected and the denied claims resubmitted, the practice has lost a month of cash flow on its highest-volume diagnoses. For a practice billing 20 plantar fasciitis cases per week at an average reimbursement of $80 to $120 per visit, four weeks of denials represents $6,400 to $9,600 in delayed revenue on a single diagnosis code.

A specialized billing partner handles the code set update as part of its standard operations. The new codes are loaded, the scrubber rules are updated, the billing staff is trained, and the transition happens without the practice losing a single claim. That is the difference between managing billing as a side task and treating it as the revenue operation it is.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

Verify that your EHR has loaded the FY 2027 code set before your first October encounter. If you are still using M72.2 on your superbills or encounter forms, replace it now with the laterality-specific codes. For a full reference of podiatry billing codes and modifier requirements, see our podiatry billing and coding cheat sheet. If your practice needs billing support through the transition, we match podiatry practices with billing companies that handle code set updates as part of their standard service.