S50.872A (Other superficial bite of left forearm, initial encounter) compared with S50.879A (Other superficial bite of unspecified forearm, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S50.872A and S50.879A code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived
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. S50.872A and S50.879A 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.
| S50.872AOther superficial bite of left forearm, initial encounter | S50.879AOther superficial bite of unspecified forearm, initial encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | S00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes | S00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes |
| Definition | Other superficial bite of left forearm, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.872A). | Other superficial bite of unspecified forearm, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S50.879A). |
| 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