Is L02.21 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

No. L02.21 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.

Where does L02.21 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99), in the block Infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L08).

What cannot be coded together with L02.21?

L02.21 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above L02.21 (L02.2) and apply to it just the same.

L02.21

L02.21 — Cutaneous abscess of trunk

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

L02.21 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for cutaneous abscess of trunk. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above L02.21

These are not written on L02.21, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing L02.21 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on L02.2 — Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle of trunk

non-newborn omphalitis (L08.82)
omphalitis of newborn (P38.-)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above L02.21

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of L02.21, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on L02.2 — Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle of trunk

abscess of breast (N61.1)
abscess of buttocks (L02.3)
abscess of female external genital organs (N76.4)
abscess of male external genital organs (N48.2, N49.-)
abscess of hip (L02.4)

Written on L02 — Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle

abscess of anus and rectal regions (K61.-)
abscess of female genital organs (external) (N76.4)
abscess of male genital organs (external) (N48.2, N49.-)

Risk adjustment

L02.21 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.

Code history

L02.21 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.

Code to one of these instead L02.21

8 child codes. Green means billable.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share L02.2. If L02.21 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about L02.21

Is L02.21 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: No. L02.21 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
Where does L02.21 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99), in the block Infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L08).
What cannot be coded together with L02.21?: L02.21 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above L02.21 (L02.2) and apply to it just the same.