Cellulitis ICD-10-CM Codes | 2023

Find out the ICD-10 codes used for cellulitis and learn more about the codes’ clinical descriptions, billability, and synonyms.

By Liliana Braun on Feb 29, 2024.

Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.

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Cellulitis ICD-10-CM Codes | 2023

What ICD-10 Codes are Used for Cellulitis 

Here’s a list of the ICD-10 CM codes for cellulitis that practitioners can use for billing, coding, documentation, etc. 

  • *L03.01: Cellulitis of finger

*Note that there are more codes under this one specifying which side of the finger.

  • *L03.03: Cellulitis of toe

*Note that there are more codes under this one specifying which side of the toe

  • *L03.11: Cellulitis of other parts of limb

*Note that there are more codes under this one specifying which side is affected

  • L03.211: Cellulitis of face
  • L03.213: Periorbital cellulitis
  • L03.221: Cellulitis of neck
  • *L03.31: Cellulitis of trunk

*Note that there are more codes under this one specifying which part of the trunk

  • L03.811: Cellulitis of head [any part, except face]
  • L03.818: Cellulitis of other sites
  • L03.90: Cellulitis, unspecified 

Which Cellulitis ICD codes are Billable: 

Only the codes without asterisks and the specific codes under the ones with an asterisk are billable.

Clinical Information

  • Cellulitis is a common bacterial skin infection that causes pain, discoloration, and swelling in the infected area. Though it usually affects one’s legs and arms, cellulitis can also develop around the eyes, mouth, or belly, especially after a skin break. 
  • Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria usually cause cellulitis. 
  • Aside from the mentioned swelling, pain, and discoloration, other symptoms a patient may experience are warm skin, fever, headache, chills, and weakness. 
  • Diagnosis of cellulitis involves asking the patient’s medical history, doing a physical exam on the patient, and obtaining blood/skin samples to identify the bacteria. 
  • Treatment for cellulitis is usually intramuscular, oral, or intravenous antibiotics. 

Synonyms Include:

  • Diffuse cellulitis
  • Cellulitis and abcess
  • Abcess
  • Cellulitis of skin 
  • Cellulitis of skin with lymphangitis
  • Wound cellulitis
  • Bacterial cellulitis
Medical Billing and Coding Software

Commonly asked questions

When to use a Cellulitis ICD code?

You can only use a cellulitis ICD code when you’ve determined the location of the affected area with a physical exam. 

Are Cellulitis diagnosis codes billable?

Yes, especially the ones that specify the affected area. 

What are the common treatments for Cellulitis?

Common treatments are oral, intravenous, or intramuscular antibiotics.

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