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S40.252A vs S40.259A

S40.252A (Superficial foreign body of left shoulder, initial encounter) compared with S40.259A (Superficial foreign body of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S40.252A and S40.259A code the same condition on opposite sides.

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S40.252A
Left
Superficial foreign body of left shoulder, initial encounter
S40.259A
Unspecified
Superficial foreign body of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter

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. S40.252A and S40.259A 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

S40.252ASuperficial foreign body of left shoulder, initial encounterS40.259ASuperficial foreign body of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter
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 left shoulder, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S40.252A).Superficial foreign body of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S40.259A).
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