S40.279A — Other superficial bite of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter
S40.279A is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for other superficial bite of unspecified shoulder, initial encounter. It is valid for submission on a claim.
7th character "A" — initial encounter
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S40
- A
- initial encounter
- D
- subsequent encounter
- S
- sequela
Excludes1 inherited from the categories above S40.279A
These are not written on S40.279A, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing S40.279A with anything listed here is a denial.
Risk adjustment
S40.279A does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.
Code history
S40.279A has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.
Related codes at this level
Codes that share S40.279. If S40.279A is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
Questions about S40.279A
- Is S40.279A a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- Yes. S40.279A is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
- Where does S40.279A sit in the tabular list?
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88), in the block Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm (S40-S49).
- What cannot be coded together with S40.279A?
- S40.279A carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above S40.279A (S40.27) and apply to it just the same.