ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group DW1K includes procedures performed to deliver brachytherapy radiation sources in Upper Back anatomical regions. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when patients receive internal radiation therapy targeting lesions or tissues of the upper back. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS DW1K group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the procedure performed and determines appropriate case mix and payment.

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Upper Back Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Procedures in this group involve delivering radiation therapy directly to the upper back via implanted or placed radiation sources and target the anatomical regions body system. Brachytherapy for the upper back is used to treat localized malignancies or palliate symptoms by concentrating dose within the target while sparing surrounding tissues. Accurate ICD-10-PCS coding is important for inpatient reimbursement because it documents the specific radiation therapy technique and supports appropriate case mix assignment.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
D	Section	Radiation Therapy
W	Body System	Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Brachytherapy
K	Body Part	Upper Back

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Upper Back Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
D	Section	Radiation Therapy
W	Body System	Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Brachytherapy
K	Body Part	Upper Back

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a patient undergoes placement of radioactive sources or devices to deliver brachytherapy to an upper back target during an inpatient stay. Select the specific ICD-10-PCS code that reflects the brachytherapy approach and the upper back body part to accurately record the procedure.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
DW1KBB1	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Back using Palladium 103 (Pd-103), Unidirectional Source
DW1KBBZ	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Back using Palladium 103 (Pd-103)

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient with a previously biopsied primary soft-tissue sarcoma located in the posterior thoracic paraspinal region of the upper back is admitted for definitive local control after multidisciplinary tumor board discussion. Because the tumor is well localized and adjacent critical structures limit external beam dosing, intraoperative placement of low dose rate palladium-103 unidirectional seeds is performed to concentrate dose to the tumor bed while sparing surrounding tissues. The patient undergoes inpatient monitoring for postoperative pain control and radiation safety precautions. Typical codes: DW1KBB1
A middle-aged patient presents urgently with progressive bleeding and pain from a recurrent malignant lesion on the upper back after prior external beam radiation; control of local tumor progression and hemostasis is required. During an inpatient admission for symptom control, low dose rate palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds are placed in the lesion to provide focal radiation and palliation of bleeding and pain, with unidirectional source placement to limit dose to underlying structures. The patient remains hospitalized for observation for wound and radiation-related effects. Typical codes: DW1KBB1
A patient with a previously implanted low dose rate palladium-103 seed array in the upper back develops persistent local irritation and seed migration on postoperative imaging, prompting inpatient evaluation for revision. Removal of malpositioned unidirectional seeds and replacement with properly oriented low dose rate palladium-103 sources is performed to restore intended dose distribution to the upper back target. The revision is documented and the patient stays for postoperative monitoring and radiation safety checks. Typical codes: DW1KBB1

ICD-10-PCS Code For Cranial Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW11-HEAD-AND-NECK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head And Neck: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW12-CHEST-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Chest: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW13-ABDOMEN-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Abdomen: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW16-PELVIC-REGION-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Pelvic Region: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1L-LOWER-BACK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1P-GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Gastrointestinal Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1Q-RESPIRATORY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1R-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY-GENITOURINARY-TRACT

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1X-UPPER-EXTREMITY-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 11

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
DW1KBB1	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Back using Palladium 103 (Pd-103), Unidirectional Source
DW1KBBZ	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Back using Palladium 103 (Pd-103)

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient with a previously biopsied primary soft-tissue sarcoma located in the posterior thoracic paraspinal region of the upper back is admitted for definitive local control after multidisciplinary tumor board discussion. Because the tumor is well localized and adjacent critical structures limit external beam dosing, intraoperative placement of low dose rate palladium-103 unidirectional seeds is performed to concentrate dose to the tumor bed while sparing surrounding tissues. The patient undergoes inpatient monitoring for postoperative pain control and radiation safety precautions. Typical codes: DW1KBB1
A middle-aged patient presents urgently with progressive bleeding and pain from a recurrent malignant lesion on the upper back after prior external beam radiation; control of local tumor progression and hemostasis is required. During an inpatient admission for symptom control, low dose rate palladium-103 brachytherapy seeds are placed in the lesion to provide focal radiation and palliation of bleeding and pain, with unidirectional source placement to limit dose to underlying structures. The patient remains hospitalized for observation for wound and radiation-related effects. Typical codes: DW1KBB1
A patient with a previously implanted low dose rate palladium-103 seed array in the upper back develops persistent local irritation and seed migration on postoperative imaging, prompting inpatient evaluation for revision. Removal of malpositioned unidirectional seeds and replacement with properly oriented low dose rate palladium-103 sources is performed to restore intended dose distribution to the upper back target. The revision is documented and the patient stays for postoperative monitoring and radiation safety checks. Typical codes: DW1KBB1

ICD-10-PCS Code For Cranial Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW11-HEAD-AND-NECK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head And Neck: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW12-CHEST-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Chest: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW13-ABDOMEN-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Abdomen: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW16-PELVIC-REGION-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Pelvic Region: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1L-LOWER-BACK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1P-GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Gastrointestinal Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1Q-RESPIRATORY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1R-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY-GENITOURINARY-TRACT

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1X-UPPER-EXTREMITY-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 11

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Upper Back Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

OpenPayer

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Upper Back Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Upper Back Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Upper Back Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-PCS section and operation apply to upper back brachytherapy in this group?

What are the specific ICD-10-PCS codes listed for upper back brachytherapy?

For what clinical purpose is brachytherapy of the upper back used according to the overview?

How does accurate coding within the DW1K group affect inpatient care documentation?

What code attributes define the DW1K code group?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-PCS section and operation apply to upper back brachytherapy in this group?

What are the specific ICD-10-PCS codes listed for upper back brachytherapy?

For what clinical purpose is brachytherapy of the upper back used according to the overview?

How does accurate coding within the DW1K group affect inpatient care documentation?

What code attributes define the DW1K code group?

References