L02.838 — Carbuncle of other sites
Is L02.838 billable?
Yes — L02.838 is billable for FY2027. L02.838 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. L02.838 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
L02.838 at a glance
| Code | L02.838 |
|---|---|
| Description | Carbuncle of other sites |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does L02.838 group to?
L02.838 sits in MDC 09 and helps define the logic of 2 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 602Cellulitis with MCCmedical
- 603Cellulitis without MCCmedical
How is L02.838 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to L02.838. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Carbuncle › specified site NEC
Use additional code — inherited from L00-L08
Report an additional code alongside L02.838 to fully describe the condition. L02.838 is sequenced first.
- code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent.
Use additional code — inherited from L02
Report an additional code alongside L02.838 to fully describe the condition. L02.838 is sequenced first.
- code to identify organism (B95-B96)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 12
The conditions below are not part of L02.838, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, L02.838 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- lipomelanotic reticulosis (I89.8)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
- systemic connective tissue disorders (M30-M36)
- viral warts (B07.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from L00-L08
The conditions below are not part of L02.838, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, L02.838 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- hordeolum (H00.0)
- infective dermatitis (L30.3)
- local infections of skin classified in Chapter 1
- lupus panniculitis (L93.2)
- panniculitis NOS (M79.3)
- panniculitis of neck and back (M54.0-)
- Perlèche NOS (K13.0)
- Perlèche due to candidiasis (B37.0)
- Perlèche due to riboflavin deficiency (E53.0)
- pyogenic granuloma (L98.0)
- relapsing panniculitis [Weber-Christian] (M35.6)
- viral warts (B07.-)
- zoster (B02.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from L02
The conditions below are not part of L02.838, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, L02.838 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has L02.838 existed?
L02.838 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.