2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code L98.A396Non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand with bone involvement without evidence of necrosis

ICD-10-CM Codes›L00–L99›L80-L99›L98

ICD-10-CM L98.A396
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

L98.A396 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand with bone involvement without evidence of necrosis. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 573 through 575, 592 through 594. The code is flagged as an unspecified code, since codes identifying laterality exist in the same family.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
L98.A396
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand with bone involvement without evidence of necrosis
Short Description
Non-prs chr ulc of unsp hand with bone invl w/o evd of necr
Parent Code
L98.A39
Non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand

Code Classification

ChapterL00–L99Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
SectionL80-L99Other disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
CategoryL98Other disorders of skin and subcutaneous tissue, not elsewhere classified
This CodeL98.A396Non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand with bone involvement without evidence of necrosis

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for L98.A396.

Unspecified codes
Unspecified codes exist in the ICD-10-CM classification for circumstances when documentation in the medical record does not provide the level of detail needed to support reporting a more specific code. However, in the inpatient setting, there should generally be very limited and rare circumstances for which the laterality (right, left, bilateral) of a condition is unable to be documented and reported. The following pages contain the list of unspecified ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for which there is a more specific code to identify laterality (right, left, bilateral) within that code family.

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative
      • hand
        • with
          • bone involvement without evidence of necrosis

Code History & ChangesHistory

New Code L98.A396 was added to the ICD-10-CM code set for FY 2026, effective October 1, 2025.

Replacement L98.A396 replaces the following previously assigned code(s):

  • L98.496 - Non-prs chr ulc skin/ oth site with bne invl w/o evd of necr
  • L98.496 - Non-prs chr ulcer of sites with bone invl w/o evd of necr
FY 2026AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2025.
FY 2026CurrentRevised in the current code setEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About L98.A396Overview

Is L98.A396 (Non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand with bone involvement without evidence of necrosis on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does L98.A396 group to?

When non-pressure chronic ulcer of unspecified hand with bone involvement without evidence of necrosis is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 573, 574, 575, 592, 593, 594, with relative weights from 0.8668 to 6.5514 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.