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Compare/S42 vs S48

S42 vs S48

S42 (Fracture of shoulder and upper arm) compared with S48 (Traumatic amputation of shoulder and upper arm), 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. S42 carries an Excludes1 note covering S48: “traumatic amputation of shoulder and upper arm (S48.-)”

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

S42Fracture of shoulder and upper armS48Traumatic amputation of shoulder and upper arm
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: S42.001A, S42.001B, S42.001D, S42.001G, S42.001K

Non-billable header

Report instead: S48.011A, S48.011D, S48.011S, S48.012A, S48.012D

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)
DefinitionFracture of shoulder and upper arm is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S42).Traumatic amputation of shoulder and upper arm is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S48).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S42The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S48
Includes
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region
An amputation not identified as partial or complete should be coded to complete

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