L92.3 vs M79.5
L92.3 and M79.5 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
The official note, declared on M79.5
foreign body granuloma of skin and subcutaneous tissue (L92.3)
L92.3
Foreign body granuloma of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
Billable
- Chapter 12
- Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
- Section
- L80-L99
Indexed under
- Granuloma › beryllium
- Granuloma › silica
- Foreign body › granuloma › skin
- Granuloma › abdomen › from residual foreign body
- Granuloma › foreign bodyNEC › skin
M79.5
Residual foreign body in soft tissue
Billable
- Chapter 13
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
- Section
- M70-M79
Indexed under
- Foreign body › in › soft tissue
- Foreign body › old or residual › soft tissue
- Foreign body › retained › soft tissue
These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.
Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027