T69.8XXA (Other specified effects of reduced temperature, initial encounter) compared with T69.8XXS (Other specified effects of reduced temperature, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. T69.8XXA and T69.8XXS code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.
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
Same injury, other encounter phase. T69.8XXA and T69.8XXS 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.
| T69.8XXAOther specified effects of reduced temperature, initial encounter | T69.8XXSOther specified effects of reduced temperature, sequela | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | 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 | Other specified effects of reduced temperature, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T69.8A). | Other specified effects of reduced temperature, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T69.8S). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T69 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T69 |
| 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) |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources