C44.211 (Basal cell carcinoma of skin of unspecified ear and external auricular canal) compared with C44.212 (Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right ear and external auricular canal), from the official CMS tabular data. C44.211 and C44.212 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived
Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.
These codes share a category and title and differ only in the side affected. The documentation decides which applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.
Source: ICD-10-CM tabular list (laterality variant derived from the code title)
Same condition, opposite side. C44.211 and C44.212 name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.
Same category and title, differing only in which side is affected — the documentation decides which one applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.
| C44.211Basal cell carcinoma of skin of unspecified ear and external auricular canal | C44.212Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right ear and external auricular canal | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | C00-D49 — Neoplasms | C00-D49 — Neoplasms |
| Definition | Basal cell carcinoma of skin of unspecified ear and external auricular canal is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C44.211). | Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right ear and external auricular canal is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C44.212). |
| Includes | malignant neoplasm of sebaceous glands malignant neoplasm of sweat glands | malignant neoplasm of sebaceous glands malignant neoplasm of sweat glands |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources