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S40.271A vs S40.271D

S40.271A (Other superficial bite of right shoulder, initial encounter) compared with S40.271D (Other superficial bite of right shoulder, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S40.271A and S40.271D code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.

Can these codes be reported together?

Same injury, other encounter phase. S40.271A and S40.271D 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

S40.271AOther superficial bite of right shoulder, initial encounterS40.271DOther superficial bite of right shoulder, subsequent encounter
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)
DefinitionOther superficial bite of right shoulder, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S40.271A).Other superficial bite of right shoulder, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S40.271D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S40The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S40
Includes
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region

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