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M86.461 vs M86.462

M86.461 (Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, right tibia and fibula) compared with M86.462 (Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, left tibia and fibula), from the official CMS tabular data. M86.461 and M86.462 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

M86.461
Right
Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, right tibia and fibula
M86.462
Left
Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, left tibia and fibula

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. M86.461 and M86.462 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

M86.461Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, right tibia and fibulaM86.462Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, left tibia and fibula
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationM00-M99 — Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissueM00-M99 — Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
DefinitionChronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, right tibia and fibula is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M86.461).Chronic osteomyelitis with draining sinus, left tibia and fibula is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M86.462).
Use additional code
code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent
code to identify major osseous defect, if applicable (M89.7-)
code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent
code to identify major osseous defect, if applicable (M89.7-)

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