S44.1 vs S54.1
S44.1 and S54.1 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
The official note, declared on S44.1
median nerve NOS (S54.1)
S44.1
Injury of median nerve at upper arm level
Not billable
- Chapter 19
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
- Section
- S40-S49
Indexed under
- Injury › nerve NEC › median › upper arm
S54.1
Injury of median nerve at forearm level
Not billable
- Chapter 19
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
- Section
- S50-S59
Use when the record says
- Injury of median nerve NOS
Indexed under
- Injury › nerve NEC › median
Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027