O70.20Third degree perineal laceration during delivery, unspecified

O70.20 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for third degree perineal laceration during delivery, unspecified. It belongs to category O70 (perineal laceration during delivery), block O60-O77 (complications of labor and delivery) and chapter 15 (pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium). It is billable, so it can be reported on its own for dates of service from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Within O70.2, choose O70.20 (unspecified) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: IIIa (O70.21), IIIb (O70.22) and IIIc (O70.23).

As a secondary diagnosis it is a CC (complication or comorbidity), which can move an inpatient stay into the "with CC" MS-DRG of its family, unless the principal diagnosis excludes it.

In MS-DRG v44.0, it is part of the grouping logic for DRG 769 (Postpartum and Post Abortion Diagnoses with O.R. Procedures, relative weight 1.6673) and DRG 776 (Postpartum and Post Abortion Diagnoses without O.R. Procedures, relative weight 0.6721), in MDC 14 (Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium), as a principal or secondary diagnosis. The DRG a claim lands in depends on the principal diagnosis, procedures and any CC/MCC secondary diagnoses.

The Medicare Code Editor treats this as a maternity diagnosis, expected only for patients age 9 through 64.

It is on the CMS list of diagnoses consistent only with female patients (the sex-conflict edit itself was retired in FY2025).

It was added in FY2017, effective October 1, 2016.

Before ICD-10, this condition was coded in ICD-9-CM as 664.21 (third-degree perineal laceration, delivered, with or without mention of antepartum condition) and 664.24 (third-degree perineal laceration, postpartum condition or complication).