S50.851D (Superficial foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter) compared with S50.852D (Superficial foreign body of left forearm, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S50.851D and S50.852D code the same condition on opposite sides.
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)
Same condition, opposite side. S50.851D and S50.852D 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.
| S50.851DSuperficial foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter | S50.852DSuperficial foreign body of left forearm, subsequent encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | S00-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) |
| Definition | Superficial foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.851D). | Superficial foreign body of left forearm, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.852D). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S50 | The 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