T32.55

Billable

Corrosions involving 50-59% of body surface with 50-59% third degree corrosion

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

Chemical burn affecting 50-59% of the body surface, with the most severe burns (third degree) covering 50-59% of the affected area.

Coding Tips

•This represents a life-threatening injury with extensive full-thickness corrosion affecting more than half the body
•Document all resuscitation efforts, organ system involvement, and prognosis assessment in clinical notes

Clinical Significance

This represents severe chemical burns affecting over half the body with extensive third-degree involvement, indicating massive tissue destruction requiring intensive burn care. These patients face high mortality risk and require specialized burn unit management with extensive surgical interventions and prolonged rehabilitation.

Documentation Requirements

✓Total body surface area (BSA) percentage affected (50-59%)
✓Third-degree burn percentage documentation (50-59%)
✓Mechanism of injury (chemical agent involved)
✓Date and circumstances of injury
✓Current treatment phase (acute, wound care, rehabilitation)
✓Anatomical locations affected
✓Associated complications (infection, organ dysfunction)
✓Surgical interventions performed or planned

Commonly Confused Codes

T32.54 — Has 40-49% third-degree involvement instead of 50-59%T32.65 — Involves 60-69% total BSA instead of 50-59%T21-T25 series — Specific anatomical site burns, not total body assessment T31.55 — Thermal burns, not chemical corrosions

Code Hierarchy

└T32Corrosions classified according to extent of body surface involved └T32.5Corrosions involving 50-59% of body surface └T32.55Corrosions involving 50-59% of body surface with 50-59% third degree corrosion

└T32.55Corrosions involving 50-59% of body surface with 50-59% third degree corrosion