S54.90XD - Injury of unspecified nerve at forearm level, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter

Version 2023
ICD-10:S54.90XD
Short Description:Injury of unsp nerve at forearm level, unsp arm, subs encntr
Long Description:Injury of unspecified nerve at forearm level, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter
Status: Valid for Submission
Version:ICD-10-CM 2023
Code Classification:
  • Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00–T98)
    • Injuries to the elbow and forearm (S50-S59)
      • Injury of nerves at forearm level (S54)

S54.90XD is a billable ICD-10 code used to specify a medical diagnosis of injury of unspecified nerve at forearm level, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter. The code is valid during the fiscal year 2023 from October 01, 2022 through September 30, 2023 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. The code is exempt from present on admission (POA) reporting for inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals.

S54.90XD is a subsequent encounter code, includes a 7th character and should be used after the patient has completed active treatment for a condition like injury of unspecified nerve at forearm level unspecified arm. According to ICD-10-CM Guidelines a "subsequent encounter" occurs when the patient is receiving routine care for the condition during the healing or recovery phase of treatment. Subsequent diagnosis codes are appropriate during the recovery phase, no matter how many times the patient has seen the provider for this condition. If the provider needs to adjust the patient's care plan due to a setback or other complication, the encounter becomes active again.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like S54.90XD are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

Coding Guidelines

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Injury of nerves at forearm level (S54). Use the following options for the aplicable episode of care:

Present on Admission (POA)

S54.90XD is exempt from POA reporting - The Present on Admission (POA) indicator is used for diagnosis codes included in claims involving inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals. POA indicators must be reported to CMS on each claim to facilitate the grouping of diagnoses codes into the proper Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG). CMS publishes a listing of specific diagnosis codes that are exempt from the POA reporting requirement. Review other POA exempt codes here.

CMS POA Indicator Options and Definitions

POA Indicator CodePOA Reason for CodeCMS will pay the CC/MCC DRG?
YDiagnosis was present at time of inpatient admission.YES
NDiagnosis was not present at time of inpatient admission.NO
UDocumentation insufficient to determine if the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.NO
WClinically undetermined - unable to clinically determine whether the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.YES
1Unreported/Not used - Exempt from POA reporting. NO

Convert to ICD-9 Code

Source ICD-10 CodeTarget ICD-9 Code
S54.90XDV58.89 - Other specfied aftercare
Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Arm Injuries and Disorders

Of the 206 bones in your body, three of them are in your arm: the humerus, radius, and ulna. Your arms are also made up of muscles, joints, tendons, and other connective tissue. Injuries to any of these parts of the arm can occur during sports, a fall, or an accident.

Types of arm injuries include :

You may also have problems or injure specific parts of your arm, such as your hand, wrist, elbow, or shoulder.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Peripheral Nerve Disorders

Your peripheral nerves are the ones outside your brain and spinal cord. Like static on a telephone line, peripheral nerve disorders distort or interrupt the messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

There are more than 100 kinds of peripheral nerve disorders. They can affect one nerve or many nerves. Some are the result of other diseases, like diabetic nerve problems. Others, like Guillain-Barre syndrome, happen after a virus infection. Still others are from nerve compression, like carpal tunnel syndrome or thoracic outlet syndrome. In some cases, like complex regional pain syndrome and brachial plexus injuries, the problem begins after an injury. Some people are born with peripheral nerve disorders.

Symptoms often start gradually, and then get worse. They include :

Treatment aims to treat any underlying problem, reduce pain and control symptoms.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History