S44.1 — Injury of median nerve at upper arm level
Is S44.1 billable?
No — S44.1 is a non-billable header code. S44.1 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 9 billable codes beneath S44.1.
Billable codes under this header
- S44.10XAInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, unspecified arm, initial encounter
- S44.10XDInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter
- S44.10XSInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, unspecified arm, sequela
- S44.11XAInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, right arm, initial encounter
- S44.11XDInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, right arm, subsequent encounter
- S44.11XSInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, right arm, sequela
- S44.12XAInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, left arm, initial encounter
- S44.12XDInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, left arm, subsequent encounter
- S44.12XSInjury of median nerve at upper arm level, left arm, sequela
S44.1 at a glance
| Code | S44.1 |
|---|---|
| Description | Injury of median nerve at upper arm level |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
How is S44.1 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to S44.1. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Injury › nerve NEC › median › upper arm
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with S44.1 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- median nerve NOS (S54.1)
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 19
Report an additional code alongside S44.1 to fully describe the condition. S44.1 is sequenced first.
- code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 19
The conditions below are not part of S44.1, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S44.1 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from S40-S49
The conditions below are not part of S44.1, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S44.1 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from S44
The conditions below are not part of S44.1, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S44.1 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- injury of brachial plexus (S14.3-)
Code also — inherited from S44
Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether S44.1 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.
- any associated open wound (S41.-)
What codes fall under S44.1? (3)
How long has S44.1 existed?
S44.1 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with S44.1?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with S44.1 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.
What other codes are in the S44 family? (7)
- S44.0Injury of ulnar nerve at upper arm levelnot billable
- S44.2Injury of radial nerve at upper arm levelnot billable
- S44.3Injury of axillary nervenot billable
- S44.4Injury of musculocutaneous nervenot billable
- S44.5Injury of cutaneous sensory nerve at shoulder and upper arm levelnot billable
- S44.8Injury of other nerves at shoulder and upper arm levelnot billable
- S44.9Injury of unspecified nerve at shoulder and upper arm levelnot billable