S20.17 vs S21.05
S20.17 (Other superficial bite of breast) compared with S21.05 (Open bite of breast), 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. S20.17 carries an Excludes1 note covering S21.05: “open bite of breast (S21.05-)”
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. S21.05 carries an Excludes1 note covering S20.17: “superficial bite of breast (S20.17)”
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
| S20.17Other superficial bite of breast | S21.05Open bite of breast | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: S20.171A, S20.171D, S20.171S, S20.172A, S20.172D | Non-billable header Report instead: S21.051A, S21.051D, S21.051S, S21.052A, S21.052D |
| Classification | S00-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) |
| Definition | Other superficial bite of breast is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S20.17). | Open bite of breast is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S21.05). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S20 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S21 |
| Includes | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area Bite of breast NOS |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources