2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code S20Superficial injury of thorax

ICD-10-CM Codes›S00–T88›S20-S29›S20

ICD-10-CM S20
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

S20 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code for superficial injury of thorax, so it cannot be submitted on claims. Use a more specific code from this category instead, such as S20.00XA, S20.00XD, S20.00XS, and S20.01XA.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
S20
Billable Status
No — Non-Billable Category
Code Describes
Superficial injury of thorax
Short Description
Superficial injury of thorax
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Chapter
S20-S29
Injuries to the thorax

Code Classification

ChapterS00–T88Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
SectionS20-S29Injuries to the thorax
CategoryS20Superficial injury of thorax
This CodeS20Superficial injury of thorax

Specific Coding for Superficial injury of thoraxOverview

Non-specific codes like S20 require more characters. Use one of these billable codes instead:

  • S20.0 for Contusion of breast

  • S20.00 for Contusion of breast, unspecified breast

  • S20.01 for Contusion of right breast

  • S20.02 for Contusion of left breast

  • S20.1 for Other and unspecified superficial injuries of breast

  • S20.10 for Unspecified superficial injuries of breast

  • S20.11 for Abrasion of breast

  • S20.12 for Blister (nonthermal) of breast

  • S20.14 for External constriction of part of breast

  • S20.15 for Superficial foreign body of breast

  • S20.16 for Insect bite (nonvenomous) of breast

  • S20.17 for Other superficial bite of breast

  • S20.2 for Contusion of thorax

  • S20.20 for Contusion of thorax, unspecified

  • S20.21 for Contusion of front wall of thorax

  • S20.22 for Contusion of back wall of thorax

  • S20.3 for Other and unspecified superficial injuries of front wall of thorax

  • S20.30 for Unspecified superficial injuries of front wall of thorax

  • S20.31 for Abrasion of front wall of thorax

  • S20.32 for Blister (nonthermal) of front wall of thorax

  • S20.34 for External constriction of front wall of thorax

  • S20.35 for Superficial foreign body of front wall of thorax

  • S20.36 for Insect bite (nonvenomous) of front wall of thorax

  • S20.37 for Other superficial bite of front wall of thorax

  • S20.4 for Other and unspecified superficial injuries of back wall of thorax

  • S20.40 for Unspecified superficial injuries of back wall of thorax

  • S20.41 for Abrasion of back wall of thorax

  • S20.42 for Blister (nonthermal) of back wall of thorax

  • S20.44 for External constriction of back wall of thorax

  • S20.45 for Superficial foreign body of back wall of thorax

  • S20.46 for Insect bite (nonvenomous) of back wall of thorax

  • S20.47 for Other superficial bite of back wall of thorax

  • S20.9 for Superficial injury of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.90 for Unspecified superficial injury of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.91 for Abrasion of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.92 for Blister (nonthermal) of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.94 for External constriction of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.95 for Superficial foreign body of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.96 for Insect bite (nonvenomous) of unspecified parts of thorax

  • S20.97 for Other superficial bite of unspecified parts of thorax

Coding GuidelinesGuidance

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Superficial injury of thorax (S20). Use the following options for the applicable episode of care:

  • A - initial encounter
  • D - subsequent encounter
  • S - sequela

Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027, published by CMS and the National Center for Health Statistics.

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to S20: its own notes plus those printed at block S20-S29 and Chapter 19. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

Includes

Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.

From Block S20-S29 Injuries to the thorax applies to 1,602 codes
  • injuries of breast
  • injuries of chest (wall)
  • injuries of interscapular area

Excludes2

Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.

From Block S20-S29 Injuries to the thorax applies to 1,602 codes
  • burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
  • effects of foreign body in bronchus (T17.5)
  • effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1)
  • effects of foreign body in lung (T17.8)
  • effects of foreign body in trachea (T17.4)
  • frostbite (T33-T34)
  • injuries of axilla
  • injuries of clavicle
  • injuries of scapular region
  • injuries of shoulder
  • insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes

Use Additional Code

Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.

From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes
  • code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Notes

General instructions on how these codes are used.

From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes
  • Use secondary code(s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code
  • The chapter uses the S-section for coding different types of injuries related to single body regions and the T-section to cover injuries to unspecified body regions as well as poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.

7th Character

Every code in the category takes a 7th character from the listed values, with the placeholder X filling any empty positions before it.

  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S20
Values for category S20 Encounter: Initial, Subsequent, Sequela
  • Ainitial encounter
  • Dsubsequent encounter
  • Ssequela

Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.

Patient EducationClinical

Wounds and Injuries

An injury is damage to your body. It is a general term that refers to harm caused by accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. In the U.S., millions of people injure themselves every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2026No changes
FY 2027CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Questions About S20Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for superficial injury of thorax?

S20 is the ICD-10-CM category for superficial injury of thorax, but it is a non-billable header: claims need a more specific code from this category, listed on this page.

Is S20 (Superficial injury of thorax) a billable code?

No. This is a category header that groups the codes for superficial injury of thorax, and headers cannot be submitted on claims. Claims for superficial injury of thorax need a more specific code from this category, such as S20.00XA, S20.00XD, and S20.00XS.