Skip to main content

S46.901A vs S46.901D

S46.901A (Unspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, initial encounter) compared with S46.901D (Unspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S46.901A and S46.901D code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.

Relationship

Review

Encounter relationship

S46.901A
Initial encounter
Unspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, initial encounter
S46.901D
Subsequent encounter
Unspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, subsequent encounter

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. S46.901A and S46.901D 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

S46.901AUnspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, initial encounterS46.901DUnspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, subsequent encounter
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionUnspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S46.901A).Unspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, right arm, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S46.901D).
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