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Compare/J93 vs S27.0

J93 vs S27.0

J93 (Pneumothorax and air leak) compared with S27.0 (Traumatic pneumothorax), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. J93 carries an Excludes1 note covering S27.0: “traumatic pneumothorax (S27.0)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

No — do not report together. S27.0 carries an Excludes1 note covering J93: “spontaneous pneumothorax (J93.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

J93Pneumothorax and air leakS27.0Traumatic pneumothorax
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: J93.0, J93.11, J93.12, J93.81, J93.82

Non-billable header

Report instead: S27.0XXA, S27.0XXD, S27.0XXS

ClassificationJ00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)
DefinitionPneumothorax and air leak is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J93).Traumatic pneumothorax is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S27.0).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S27
Includes
injuries of breast
injuries of chest (wall)
injuries of interscapular area

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources