T34.71XA
Frostbite with tissue necrosis of right knee and lower leg, initial encounter
T34.71XA (also written T3471XA) is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for frostbite with tissue necrosis of right knee and lower leg, initial encounter. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. It is one of the 111 codes in category T34 (Frostbite with tissue necrosis). Its 7th character, A, means initial encounter. Its coding notes include a Use additional code instruction and 4 Excludes2 entries.
7th character
Category T34 requires a 7th character. T34.71 has only 5 characters, so a placeholder X fills the 6th position.
Guidelines tip
From the FY2027 Official Guidelines. ICD10Ref adds no rules of its own.
The 7th character depends on whether the patient is in active treatment, not on who sees the patient. An aftercare Z code is not used for injury aftercare.
Use additional code
Add the listed code as a secondary code, if known.
Also from chapter/block level (1 note)
- code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)
Excludes2
Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.
- frostbite with tissue necrosis of ankle and foot (T34.8-)
Also from chapter/block level (3 notes)
- birth trauma (P10-P15)
- obstetric trauma (O70-O71)
Care settings
How CMS programs treat this code. These are CMS claim edits and list entries, not coverage or eligibility rules.
Home Health Primary
Accepted as the primary (principal) diagnosis on a home health claim. The Home Health Grouper assigns it to the MMTA - Other clinical group.
Source: CMS Home Health Grouper Software v07.2.26, effective October 1, 2026Hospital CC
Counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) when reported as a secondary diagnosis on an inpatient claim. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 77 codes in its exclusion list. Some MS-DRGs also ignore a CC or MCC that defines the DRG.
Source: CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, effective October 1, 2026, Appendix CHAC
On the CMS list of hospital-acquired conditions (HAC 05: Falls and Trauma). When the claim reports it with a present-on-admission (POA) indicator of N (not present) or U (documentation insufficient), CMS does not pay the CC or MCC DRG for it. A POA of Y (present) or W (clinically undetermined) is paid normally.
Source: CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, effective October 1, 2026, Appendix I; CMS Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HAC) Coding page, POA indicator payment tableNotes
Also from chapter/block level (2 notes)
- 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.