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S46.812A vs S46.812S

S46.812A (Strain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, initial encounter) compared with S46.812S (Strain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S46.812A and S46.812S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Encounter relationship

S46.812A
Initial encounter
Strain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, initial encounter
S46.812S
Sequela
Strain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, sequela

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

Can these codes be reported together?

Same injury, other encounter phase. S46.812A and S46.812S 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

S46.812AStrain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, initial encounterS46.812SStrain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, sequela
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionStrain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S46.812A).Strain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level, left arm, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S46.812S).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S46The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S46
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