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S50.871S vs S50.872S

S50.871S (Other superficial bite of right forearm, sequela) compared with S50.872S (Other superficial bite of left forearm, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S50.871S and S50.872S code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S50.871S
Right
Other superficial bite of right forearm, sequela
S50.872S
Left
Other superficial bite of left forearm, 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. S50.871S and S50.872S 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

S50.871SOther superficial bite of right forearm, sequelaS50.872SOther superficial bite of left forearm, sequela
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionOther superficial bite of right forearm, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.871S).Other superficial bite of left forearm, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.872S).
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