Is S21.43 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

No. S21.43 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.

Where does S21.43 sit in the tabular list?

Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88), in the block Injuries to the thorax (S20-S29).

S21.43

S21.43 — Puncture wound without foreign body of back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

S21.43 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for puncture wound without foreign body of back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below. This code also requires a 7th character before it is complete.

This code requires a 7th character

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S21

A: initial encounter
D: subsequent encounter
S: sequela

Risk adjustment

S21.43 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.

How S21.43 is indexed

Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to S21.43.

Puncture›thorax, thoracic›back›with›penetration

Code to one of these instead S21.43

3 child codes. Green means billable.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share S21.4. If S21.43 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about S21.43

Is S21.43 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: No. S21.43 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
Where does S21.43 sit in the tabular list?: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88), in the block Injuries to the thorax (S20-S29).