S25.511A (Laceration of intercostal blood vessels, right side, initial encounter) compared with S25.511S (Laceration of intercostal blood vessels, right side, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S25.511A and S25.511S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.
Same underlying diagnosis, different encounter phase.
The 7th character records the phase of care for the encounter being coded, so a single encounter takes one of these characters, not several. Review whether both phases belong on the same episode of care.
Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a
Same injury, other encounter phase. S25.511A and S25.511S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment, set by the 7th character.
The 7th character records the type of care given at the encounter being coded (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a), so one encounter takes one of these, not both.
| S25.511ALaceration of intercostal blood vessels, right side, initial encounter | S25.511SLaceration of intercostal blood vessels, right side, sequela | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| 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 | Laceration of intercostal blood vessels, right side, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S25.511A). | Laceration of intercostal blood vessels, right side, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S25.511S). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S25 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S25 |
| Includes | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources