T31.73

Billable

Burns involving 70-79% of body surface with 30-39% third degree burns

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 385 — Severe Skin Burn or Condition

0.350

V24HCC 162 — Severe Skin Burn or Condition

0.517

ESRDHCC 162 — Severe Skin Burn or Condition

0.000

What This Code Means

Extensive burns covering 70-79% of the body surface with 30-39% being third-degree burns that destroy all skin layers.

Coding Tips

•Document both the total BSA percentage and the third-degree burn percentage to support accurate code selection
•These injuries typically require skin grafting and prolonged intensive care management

Clinical Significance

This code represents a severe burn with extensive body surface involvement and major full-thickness tissue destruction. These patients face extremely high mortality risk and require immediate burn center care with intensive monitoring and aggressive treatment protocols.

Documentation Requirements

✓Total body surface area (TBSA) documented as 70-79%
✓Third-degree burns documented as 30-39% of body surface
✓Standardized burn assessment methodology used
✓Comprehensive anatomical burn mapping
✓Burn mechanism and causative agent documented
✓Complete burn depth evaluation system
✓Complications and associated injuries noted
✓Burn center management and transfer protocols

Commonly Confused Codes

T31.72 — 20-29% third-degree versus 30-39% third-degree T31.74 — 40-49% third-degree versus 30-39% third-degree T31.63 — Total TBSA 60-69% versus 70-79%T32.73 — Corrosion versus burn etiology T31.83 — Total TBSA 80-89% versus 70-79%

Code Hierarchy

└T31Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved └T31.7Burns involving 70-79% of body surface └T31.73Burns involving 70-79% of body surface with 30-39% third degree burns

└T31.73Burns involving 70-79% of body surface with 30-39% third degree burns