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M08.872 vs M08.879

M08.872 (Other juvenile arthritis, left ankle and foot) compared with M08.879 (Other juvenile arthritis, unspecified ankle and foot), from the official CMS tabular data. M08.872 and M08.879 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

M08.872
Left
Other juvenile arthritis, left ankle and foot
M08.879
Unspecified
Other juvenile arthritis, unspecified ankle and foot

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)

Can these codes be reported together?

Same condition, opposite side. M08.872 and M08.879 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.

Side by side

M08.872Other juvenile arthritis, left ankle and footM08.879Other juvenile arthritis, unspecified ankle and foot
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationM00-M99 — Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissueM00-M99 — Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
DefinitionOther juvenile arthritis, left ankle and foot is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M08.872).Other juvenile arthritis, unspecified ankle and foot is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M08.879).

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources