T71.121A vs T71.121D
T71.121A (Asphyxiation due to plastic bag, accidental, initial encounter) compared with T71.121D (Asphyxiation due to plastic bag, accidental, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. T71.121A and T71.121D code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.
Can these codes be reported together?
Same injury, other encounter phase. T71.121A and T71.121D 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.
Side by side
| T71.121AAsphyxiation due to plastic bag, accidental, initial encounter | T71.121DAsphyxiation due to plastic bag, accidental, subsequent encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Asphyxiation due to plastic bag, accidental, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.121A). | Asphyxiation due to plastic bag, accidental, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.121D). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71 |
| Includes | Asphyxiation due to plastic bag NOS | Asphyxiation due to plastic bag NOS |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources