L52 — Erythema nodosum
Is L52 billable?
Yes — L52 is billable for FY2027. L52 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. L52 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
L52 at a glance
| Code | L52 |
|---|---|
| Description | Erythema nodosum |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does L52 group to?
L52 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.
- 595Major Skin Disorders with MCCmedical
- 596Major Skin Disorders without MCCmedical
How is L52 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to L52. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Dermatitis › contusiformis (eczematous)
- Erythema, erythematous › induratum (infectional) (inflammation)
- Erythema, erythematous › nodosum (infectional) (inflammation)
- Arthritis, arthritic › due to or associated with › erythema › nodosum (acute) (chronic) (nonpyogenic) (subacute)
- Arthritis, arthritic › in › erythema › nodosum (acute) (chronic) (nonpyogenic) (subacute)
- Arthropathy › in › erythema › nodosum
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with L52 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- tuberculous erythema nodosum (A18.4)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from L49-L54
The conditions below can never be reported together with L52 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 12
The conditions below are not part of L52, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, L52 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.-)
How long has L52 existed?
L52 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.
Which codes are confused with L52?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with L52 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.