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S40.251S vs S40.252S

S40.251S (Superficial foreign body of right shoulder, sequela) compared with S40.252S (Superficial foreign body of left shoulder, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S40.251S and S40.252S code the same condition on opposite sides.

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S40.251S
Right
Superficial foreign body of right shoulder, sequela
S40.252S
Left
Superficial foreign body of left shoulder, sequela

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. S40.251S and S40.252S 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

S40.251SSuperficial foreign body of right shoulder, sequelaS40.252SSuperficial foreign body of left shoulder, sequela
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)
DefinitionSuperficial foreign body of right shoulder, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S40.251S).Superficial foreign body of left shoulder, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S40.252S).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S40The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S40
Includes
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region

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