S20.9 — Superficial injury of unspecified parts of thorax

Not billable

Is S20.9 billable?

No — S20.9 is a non-billable header code. S20.9 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 21 billable codes beneath S20.9.

Billable codes under this header

S20.9 at a glance

Code	S20.9
Description	Superficial injury of unspecified parts of thorax
Billable	No — header code
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with S20.9 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

contusion of thorax NOS (S20.20)

Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 19

Report an additional code alongside S20.9 to fully describe the condition. S20.9 is sequenced first.

code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 19

The conditions below are not part of S20.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S20.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.

birth trauma (P10-P15)
obstetric trauma (O70-O71)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from S20-S29

The conditions below are not part of S20.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S20.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.

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)

What codes fall under S20.9? (7)

How long has S20.9 existed?

S20.9 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.

Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.