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T23.121 vs T23.122

T23.121 (Burn of first degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb) compared with T23.122 (Burn of first degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb), from the official CMS tabular data. T23.121 and T23.122 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

T23.121
Right
Burn of first degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb
T23.122
Left
Burn of first degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb

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. T23.121 and T23.122 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

T23.121Burn of first degree of single right finger (nail) except thumbT23.122Burn of first degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: T23.121A, T23.121D, T23.121S

Non-billable header

Report instead: T23.122A, T23.122D, T23.122S

ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionBurn of first degree of single right finger (nail) except thumb is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T23.121).Burn of first degree of single left finger (nail) except thumb is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T23.122).
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