S59.811A (Other specified injuries right forearm, initial encounter) compared with S59.811S (Other specified injuries right forearm, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S59.811A and S59.811S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.
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
Same injury, other encounter phase. S59.811A and S59.811S 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.
| S59.811AOther specified injuries right forearm, initial encounter | S59.811SOther specified injuries right forearm, sequela | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| 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 | Other specified injuries right forearm, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S59.811A). | Other specified injuries right forearm, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S59.811S). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code in subcategory S59.8 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code in subcategory S59.8 |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources