S09.0 vs S15
S09.0 (Injury of blood vessels of head, not elsewhere classified) compared with S15 (Injury of blood vessels at neck level), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.
Can these codes be reported together?
No — do not report together. S09.0 carries an Excludes1 note covering S15: “injury of precerebral blood vessels (S15.-)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
Side by side
| S09.0Injury of blood vessels of head, not elsewhere classified | S15Injury of blood vessels at neck level | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Non-billable header Report instead: S15.001A, S15.001D, S15.001S, S15.002A, S15.002D |
| Classification | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) |
| Definition | Injury of blood vessels of head, not elsewhere classified is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S09.0). | Injury of blood vessels at neck level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S15). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S09 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S15 |
| Includes | injuries of ear injuries of eye injuries of face [any part] injuries of gum | injuries of nape injuries of supraclavicular region injuries of throat |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources