S44.2 vs S54.2
S44.2 (Injury of radial nerve at upper arm level) compared with S54.2 (Injury of radial nerve at forearm 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. S44.2 carries an Excludes1 note covering S54.2: “radial nerve NOS (S54.2)”
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
| S44.2Injury of radial nerve at upper arm level | S54.2Injury of radial nerve at forearm level | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: S44.20XA, S44.20XD, S44.20XS, S44.21XA, S44.21XD | Non-billable header Report instead: S54.20XA, S54.20XD, S54.20XS, S54.21XA, S54.21XD |
| 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 radial nerve at upper arm level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S44.2). | Injury of radial nerve at forearm level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S54.2). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S44 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S54 |
| Includes | injuries of axilla injuries of scapular region | Injury of radial nerve NOS |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources