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S70.352D vs S70.359D

S70.352D (Superficial foreign body, left thigh, subsequent encounter) compared with S70.359D (Superficial foreign body, unspecified thigh, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S70.352D and S70.359D code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Can these codes be reported together?

Review

Laterality relationship

S70.352D
Left
Superficial foreign body, left thigh, subsequent encounter
↔
S70.359D
Unspecified
Superficial foreign body, unspecified thigh, subsequent encounter

What we found

Same condition, opposite side.S70.352D and S70.359D 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.

What to review

Report the side the documentation names. Where the code set provides a bilateral code and both sides are documented, use it instead of the pair.

Guide: Laterality codingCheck these on a claim

Why it matters

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 / rule

ICD-10-CM tabular list (laterality variant derived from the code title)

Side by side

S70.352DSuperficial foreign body, left thigh, subsequent encounterS70.359DSuperficial foreign body, unspecified thigh, 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)
DefinitionSuperficial foreign body, left thigh, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S70.352D).Superficial foreign body, unspecified thigh, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S70.359D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S70The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S70
Excludes2
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
frostbite (T33-T34)
snake bite (T63.0-)
venomous insect bite or sting (T63.4-)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
frostbite (T33-T34)
snake bite (T63.0-)
venomous insect bite or sting (T63.4-)

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on.

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources