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S50.311A vs S50.312A

S50.311A (Abrasion of right elbow, initial encounter) compared with S50.312A (Abrasion of left elbow, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S50.311A and S50.312A code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S50.311A
Right
Abrasion of right elbow, initial encounter
S50.312A
Left
Abrasion of left elbow, 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. S50.311A and S50.312A 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

S50.311AAbrasion of right elbow, initial encounterS50.312AAbrasion of left elbow, 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)
DefinitionAbrasion of right elbow, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.311A).Abrasion of left elbow, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.312A).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S50The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S50

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