Burn 3rd deg mu sites of left shldr/up lmb, ex wrs/hnd, init

This code signifies a full-thickness burn affecting multiple areas of the patient's left shoulder and upper arm, excluding the wrist and hand. A third-degree burn involves destruction of the epidermis, dermis, and often underlying subcutaneous tissue, requiring significant medical intervention.

Apply this code for initial treatment of a patient presenting with a severe, full-thickness burn to the specified left upper limb regions. This includes emergency department visits, initial hospital admissions, or the first outpatient encounter for this specific injury.

• Ensure documentation clearly specifies "third-degree" and "multiple sites" within the left shoulder and upper limb, excluding the hand and wrist.
• Verify this is the initial encounter for this specific burn injury; subsequent encounters will require different seventh characters.
• Always code the extent of the burn (T31.-) and the external cause (V00-Y99) in addition to the burn site code.