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S36.512A vs S36.512S

S36.512A (Primary blast injury of descending [left] colon, initial encounter) compared with S36.512S (Primary blast injury of descending [left] colon, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S36.512A and S36.512S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.

Can these codes be reported together?

Same injury, other encounter phase. S36.512A and S36.512S 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.

Side by side

S36.512APrimary blast injury of descending [left] colon, initial encounterS36.512SPrimary blast injury of descending [left] colon, sequela
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-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)
DefinitionPrimary blast injury of descending [left] colon, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S36.512A).Primary blast injury of descending [left] colon, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S36.512S).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S36The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S36
Includes
injuries to the abdominal wall
injuries to the anus
injuries to the buttock
injuries to the external genitalia
injuries to the abdominal wall
injuries to the anus
injuries to the buttock
injuries to the external genitalia

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources