T71.153A (Asphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, assault, initial encounter) compared with T71.153S (Asphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, assault, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. T71.153A and T71.153S 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. T71.153A and T71.153S 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.
| T71.153AAsphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, assault, initial encounter | T71.153SAsphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, assault, 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 | Asphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, assault, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.153A). | Asphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, assault, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.153S). |
| 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 |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources