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S91.0 vs S91.001A

S91.0 (Open wound of ankle) compared with S91.001A (Unspecified open wound, right ankle, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes represent different levels of the same hierarchy: S91.0 is the non-billable header that contains S91.001A, so only S91.001A (or a sibling) is reported.

Registry fact
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.S91.0 is “Open wound of ankle”; S91.001A is “Unspecified open wound, right ankle, initial encounter”. S91.0 is a non-billable header; S91.001A is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Not as a pair.S91.0 is the non-billable header that contains S91.001A. A header is not reported on a claim, so the choice is S91.001A or a sibling that matches the documentation.

Registry fact

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. S91.0 carries 2 Excludes1 notes and S91.001A carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. S91.0 carries 4 Excludes2 notes and S91.001A carries 4 Excludes2 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Yes.S91.001A is a subdivision of S91.0 in the tabular hierarchy, so it is the more specific of the two.

Registry fact

Is one a parent or header code?

Yes.S91.0 is the non-billable header that contains S91.001A. A header stands for the whole family beneath it and is not reported on a claim.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Not as a pair — S91.0 is not reportable. S91.0 is the non-billable category that contains S91.001A.

A header stands for the whole family of codes beneath it and is not reported on a claim, so the choice is S91.001A or a sibling that matches the documentation. No Excludes1/Excludes2 relationship exists between these codes in the official tabular list.

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.B.2 — Level of Detail in Coding · applies to: S91.0 and S91.001A

    Diagnosis codes are to be used and reported at their highest number of characters available and to the highest level of specificity documented in the medical record. ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are composed of codes with 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 characters. Codes with three characters are included in ICD-10-CM as the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of fourth and/or fifth characters and/or sixth characters, which provide greater detail. A three-character code is to be used only if it is not further subdivided. A code is invalid if it has not been coded to the full number of characters required for that code, including the 7th character, if applicable.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
S91.0

Open wound of ankle

S91.001A

Unspecified open wound, right ankle, initial encounter

StatusDiffers
S91.0
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: S91.001A, S91.001D, S91.001S, S91.002A, S91.002D

S91.001A
Billable
Excludes1Same for both
  • open fracture of ankle, foot and toes (S92.-with 7th character B)
  • traumatic amputation of ankle and foot (S98.-)
Excludes2Same for both
  • burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
  • fracture of ankle and malleolus (S82.-)
  • frostbite (T33-T34)
  • insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
Code alsoSame for both
  • any associated wound infection
CategorySame for both

S91 Open wound of ankle, foot and toes

ChapterSame for both

S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)

7th characterSame for both
  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S91

No Code first, Use additional code and Includes note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, notes every code shares are dimmed.

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources