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T20.311 vs T20.319

T20.311 (Burn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum]) compared with T20.319 (Burn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum]), from the official CMS tabular data. T20.311 and T20.319 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

T20.311
Right
Burn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum]
T20.319
Unspecified
Burn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum]

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. T20.311 and T20.319 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

T20.311Burn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum]T20.319Burn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum]
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: T20.311A, T20.311D, T20.311S

Non-billable header

Report instead: T20.319A, T20.319D, T20.319S

ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionBurn of third degree of right ear [any part, except ear drum] is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T20.311).Burn of third degree of unspecified ear [any part, except ear drum] is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T20.319).
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

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