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S20.172 vs S20.179

S20.172 (Other superficial bite of breast, left breast) compared with S20.179 (Other superficial bite of breast, unspecified breast), from the official CMS tabular data. S20.172 and S20.179 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S20.172
Left
Other superficial bite of breast, left breast
S20.179
Unspecified
Other superficial bite of breast, unspecified breast

Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.

These codes share a category and title and differ only in the side affected. The documentation decides which applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Source: ICD-10-CM tabular list (laterality variant derived from the code title)

Can these codes be reported together?

Same condition, opposite side. S20.172 and S20.179 name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.

Same category and title, differing only in which side is affected — the documentation decides which one applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Side by side

S20.172Other superficial bite of breast, left breastS20.179Other superficial bite of breast, unspecified breast
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: S20.172A, S20.172D, S20.172S

Non-billable header

Report instead: S20.179A, S20.179D, S20.179S

ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionOther superficial bite of breast, left breast is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S20.172).Other superficial bite of breast, unspecified breast is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S20.179).
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

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