T68 vs T68.XXXD
T68 (Hypothermia) compared with T68.XXXD (Hypothermia, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data.
Summary
These codes represent different levels of the same hierarchy: T68 is the non-billable header that contains T68.XXXD, so only T68.XXXD (or a sibling) is reported.
Registry fact- What is different?
The conditions named and billing status.T68 is “Hypothermia”; T68.XXXD is “Hypothermia, subsequent encounter”. T68 is a non-billable header; T68.XXXD is billable.
Registry fact
- Can these codes be reported together?
Not as a pair.T68 is the non-billable header that contains T68.XXXD. A header is not reported on a claim, so the choice is T68.XXXD or a sibling that matches the documentation.
Registry fact
- Is there an Excludes1 relationship?
None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. T68 carries 3 Excludes1 notes and T68.XXXD carries 3 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.
Official rule
- Is there an Excludes2 relationship?
None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. T68 carries 1 Excludes2 note and T68.XXXD carries 1 Excludes2 note covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.
Official rule
- Is one more specific?
Yes.T68.XXXD is a subdivision of T68 in the tabular hierarchy, so it is the more specific of the two.
Registry fact
- Is one a parent or header code?
Yes.T68 is the non-billable header that contains T68.XXXD. A header stands for the whole family beneath it and is not reported on a claim.
Registry fact
- Are there sequencing instructions?
None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.
Official rule
- Are there other coding relationships?
None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.
MedCoder-derived
Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels
Can these codes be reported together?
Not as a pair — T68 is not reportable. T68 is the non-billable category that contains T68.XXXD.
A header stands for the whole family of codes beneath it and is not reported on a claim, so the choice is T68.XXXD or a sibling that matches the documentation. No Excludes1/Excludes2 relationship exists between these codes in the official tabular list.
Official guidance behind these answers
Section I.B.2 — Level of Detail in Coding · applies to: T68 and T68.XXXD
Diagnosis codes are to be used and reported at their highest number of characters available and to the highest level of specificity documented in the medical record. ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are composed of codes with 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 characters. Codes with three characters are included in ICD-10-CM as the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of fourth and/or fifth characters and/or sixth characters, which provide greater detail. A three-character code is to be used only if it is not further subdivided. A code is invalid if it has not been coded to the full number of characters required for that code, including the 7th character, if applicable.
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2026
Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum
Side by side
| T68Hypothermia | T68.XXXDHypothermia, subsequent encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Billable |
| Classification | S00-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) |
| Definition | Hypothermia is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T68). | Hypothermia, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T68.XXXD). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to code T68 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to code T68 |
| Includes | Accidental hypothermia Hypothermia NOS | Accidental hypothermia Hypothermia NOS |
| Excludes1 | hypothermia following anesthesia (T88.51) hypothermia not associated with low environmental temperature (R68.0) hypothermia of newborn (P80.-) | hypothermia following anesthesia (T88.51) hypothermia not associated with low environmental temperature (R68.0) hypothermia of newborn (P80.-) |
| Excludes2 | frostbite (T33-T34) | frostbite (T33-T34) |
| Use additional code | code to identify source of exposure: Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin (W93) Exposure to excessive cold of natural origin (X31) | code to identify source of exposure: Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin (W93) Exposure to excessive cold of natural origin (X31) |
| Code also | , if applicable, place of occurrence, such as: highway rest stop (Y92.523) school (private) (public) (state) as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.21-) service areas as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.52-) single-family non-institutional (private) house as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.01-) transport vehicle as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.81-) | , if applicable, place of occurrence, such as: highway rest stop (Y92.523) school (private) (public) (state) as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.21-) service areas as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.52-) single-family non-institutional (private) house as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.01-) transport vehicle as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.81-) |
Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on.
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources