Injury of visual cortex, unspecified side

Not billableICD-10-CM diagnosis code.

This code exists but cannot be submitted on its own. It groups the more specific codes beneath it.

A category header for its whole life, FY2016 onwards. It has never been valid for submission on its own.

Submit one of these 3 more specific codes instead:

S04.049A Injury of visual cortex, unspecified side, initial encounter
S04.049D Injury of visual cortex, unspecified side, subsequent encounter
S04.049S Injury of visual cortex, unspecified side, sequela

This code requires a seventh character. See the rule below.

What has happened to this code

Every change the publisher made, from 2014 to now. Entries marked draft are from the pre-implementation releases: ICD-10 took effect on 1 October 2015, so nothing before FY2016 was ever valid on a claim.

FY2014 Added to the draft code set draft Injury of visual cortex, unspecified eye
FY2018 Description revised ~~Injury of visual cortex, unspecified eye~~ Injury of visual cortex, unspecified side

Official coding rules

Published by CDC for FY2027. A rule attached to a category binds every code beneath it, so the rules inherited from this code's ancestors are shown with the code they come from.

Inherited from S04 Injury of cranial nerve

Seventh character required

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S04

Code first

any associated intracranial injury (S06.-)

Code also

any associated:
open wound of head (S01.-)
skull fracture (S02.-)

Also known as

The selection of side should be based on the side of the body being affected

Inherited from the S00-S09 section Injuries to the head (S00-S09)

Excludes2 - not included here

burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
effects of foreign body in ear (T16)
effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
effects of foreign body in mouth NOS (T18.0)
effects of foreign body in nose (T17.0-T17.1)
effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
effects of foreign body on external eye (T15.-)
frostbite (T33-T34)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)

Code also

for any associated infection

Includes

injuries of ear
injuries of eye
injuries of face [any part]
injuries of gum
injuries of jaw
injuries of oral cavity
injuries of palate
injuries of periocular area
injuries of scalp
injuries of temporomandibular joint area
injuries of tongue
injuries of tooth

How CDC's index refers to this code

Wording from the official alphabetic index. Much of it appears nowhere in the code description, which is why a search for the everyday phrase so often finds nothing.

Injury > visual cortex

Codes in the same group

Code	Description	Status
S04.041	Injury of visual cortex, right side	Not billable
S04.042	Injury of visual cortex, left side	Not billable