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S81.041D vs S81.042D

S81.041D (Puncture wound with foreign body, right knee, subsequent encounter) compared with S81.042D (Puncture wound with foreign body, left knee, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S81.041D and S81.042D code the same condition on opposite sides.

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S81.041D
Right
Puncture wound with foreign body, right knee, subsequent encounter
S81.042D
Left
Puncture wound with foreign body, left knee, 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. S81.041D and S81.042D 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

S81.041DPuncture wound with foreign body, right knee, subsequent encounterS81.042DPuncture wound with foreign body, left knee, 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)
DefinitionPuncture wound with foreign body, right knee, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S81.041D).Puncture wound with foreign body, left knee, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S81.042D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S81The 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