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Compare/S55 vs S60

S55 vs S60

S55 (Injury of blood vessels at forearm level) compared with S60 (Superficial injury of wrist, hand and fingers), from the official CMS tabular data. Both may be reported when both conditions are documented (Excludes2).

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented. S55 carries an Excludes2 note covering S60: “injuries of wrist and hand (S60-S69)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

Side by side

S55Injury of blood vessels at forearm levelS60Superficial injury of wrist, hand and fingers
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: S55.001A, S55.001D, S55.001S, S55.002A, S55.002D

Non-billable header

Report instead: S60.00XA, S60.00XD, S60.00XS, S60.011A, S60.011D

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)
DefinitionInjury of blood vessels at forearm level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S55).Superficial injury of wrist, hand and fingers is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S60).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S55The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S60

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