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S20.149A vs S20.149D

S20.149A (External constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, initial encounter) compared with S20.149D (External constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. S20.149A and S20.149D code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.

Relationship

Review

Encounter relationship

S20.149A
Initial encounter
External constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, initial encounter
↔
S20.149D
Subsequent encounter
External constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, subsequent encounter

Same underlying diagnosis, different encounter phase.

The 7th character records the phase of care for the encounter being coded, so a single encounter takes one of these characters, not several. Review whether both phases belong on the same episode of care.

Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a

Can these codes be reported together?

Same injury, other encounter phase. S20.149A and S20.149D code the same injury at a different phase of treatment, set by the 7th character.

The 7th character records the type of care given at the encounter being coded (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a), so one encounter takes one of these, not both.

Side by side

S20.149AExternal constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, initial encounterS20.149DExternal constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, subsequent encounter
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)
DefinitionExternal constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S20.149A).External constriction of part of breast, unspecified breast, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S20.149D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S20The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S20
Includes
injuries of breast
injuries of chest (wall)
injuries of interscapular area
injuries of breast
injuries of chest (wall)
injuries of interscapular area
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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources