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T20.30XA vs T20.30XD

T20.30XA (Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter) compared with T20.30XD (Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. T20.30XA and T20.30XD code the same injury at a different phase of treatment. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Encounter relationship

T20.30XA
Initial encounter
Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter
↔
T20.30XD
Subsequent encounter
Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, 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. T20.30XA and T20.30XD 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

T20.30XABurn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounterT20.30XDBurn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, 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)
DefinitionBurn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T20.30A).Burn of third degree of head, face, and neck, unspecified site, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T20.30D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T20The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T20
Includes
burns and corrosions of first degree [erythema]
burns and corrosions of second degree [blisters][epidermal loss]
burns and corrosions of third degree [deep necrosis of underlying tissue] [full- thickness skin loss]
burns and corrosions of first degree [erythema]
burns and corrosions of second degree [blisters][epidermal loss]
burns and corrosions of third degree [deep necrosis of underlying tissue] [full- thickness skin loss]
Use additional code
external cause code to identify the source, place and intent of the burn (X00-X19, X75-X77, X96-X98, Y92)
code from category T31 or T32 to identify extent of body surface involved
external cause code to identify the source, place and intent of the burn (X00-X19, X75-X77, X96-X98, Y92)
code from category T31 or T32 to identify extent of body surface involved
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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