S71 vs S81
S71 (Open wound of hip and thigh) compared with S81 (Open wound of knee and lower leg), from the official CMS tabular data. Both may be reported when both conditions are documented (Excludes2).
Can these codes be reported together?
Yes, when both are documented. S71 carries an Excludes2 note covering S81: “open wound of knee and lower leg (S81.-)”
Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.
Side by side
| S71Open wound of hip and thigh | S81Open wound of knee and lower leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: S71.001A, S71.001D, S71.001S, S71.002A, S71.002D | Non-billable header Report instead: S81.001A, S81.001D, S81.001S, S81.002A, S81.002D |
| 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 | Open wound of hip and thigh is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S71). | Open wound of knee and lower leg is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S81). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S71 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S81 |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources