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S51.821D vs S51.829D

S51.821D (Laceration with foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter) compared with S51.829D (Laceration with foreign body of unspecified forearm, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S51.821D and S51.829D code the same condition on opposite sides.

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S51.821D
Right
Laceration with foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter
S51.829D
Unspecified
Laceration with foreign body of unspecified forearm, subsequent 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. S51.821D and S51.829D 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

S51.821DLaceration with foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounterS51.829DLaceration with foreign body of unspecified forearm, subsequent 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)
DefinitionLaceration with foreign body of right forearm, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S51.821D).Laceration with foreign body of unspecified forearm, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S51.829D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S51The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S51

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