Skip to main content

T23.021A vs T23.022A

T23.021A (Burn of unspecified degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter) compared with T23.022A (Burn of unspecified degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. T23.021A and T23.022A code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

T23.021A
Right
Burn of unspecified degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter
T23.022A
Left
Burn of unspecified degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter

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. T23.021A and T23.022A 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

T23.021ABurn of unspecified degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounterT23.022ABurn of unspecified degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionBurn of unspecified degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T23.021A).Burn of unspecified degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T23.022A).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T23The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T23
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