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S81.851A vs S81.852A

S81.851A (Open bite, right lower leg, initial encounter) compared with S81.852A (Open bite, left lower leg, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S81.851A and S81.852A code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S81.851A
Right
Open bite, right lower leg, initial encounter
S81.852A
Left
Open bite, left lower leg, initial 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. S81.851A and S81.852A 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

S81.851AOpen bite, right lower leg, initial encounterS81.852AOpen bite, left lower leg, initial encounter
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionOpen bite, right lower leg, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S81.851A).Open bite, left lower leg, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S81.852A).
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