W20-W49Not billable, use a more specific code below
Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (W20-W49)
chapter 20: External Causes of Morbidity
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Instructional notes
Official coding guidelines
From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.
Covers how to report external cause codes (V00-Y99) describing cause, intent, place, activity, and status. They are never principal or first-listed, and reporting is voluntary unless required.
- General External Cause Coding Guidelines (page 88)
- Place of Occurrence Guideline (page 89)
- Activity Code (page 89)
- Place of Occurrence, Activity, and Status Codes Used with other External Cause Code (page 89)
- If the Reporting Format Limits the Number of External Cause Codes (page 90)
- Multiple External Cause Coding Guidelines (page 90)
- Child and Adult Abuse Guideline (page 90)
- Unknown or Undetermined Intent Guideline (page 91)
Codes under W20-W49
W20-W49 can't be used on a claim. Pick a billable code below; grey headings group them.
- W20Struck by thrown, projected or falling object
- W21Striking against or struck by sports equipment
- W22Striking against or struck by other objects
- W23Caught, crushed, jammed or pinched in or between objects
- W24Contact with lifting and transmission devices, not elsewhere classified
- W25Contact with sharp glass
- W26Contact with other sharp objects
- W27Contact with nonpowered hand tool
- W28Contact with powered lawn mower
- W29Contact with other powered hand tools and household machinery
- W30Contact with agricultural machinery
- W31Contact with other and unspecified machinery
- W32Accidental handgun discharge and malfunction
- W33Accidental rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge and malfunction
- W34Accidental discharge and malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns
- W35Explosion and rupture of boiler
- W36Explosion and rupture of gas cylinder
- W37Explosion and rupture of pressurized tire, pipe or hose
- W38Explosion and rupture of other specified pressurized devices
- W39Discharge of firework
- W40Explosion of other materials
- W42Exposure to noise
- W44Foreign body entering into or through a natural orifice
- W45Foreign body or object entering through skin
- W46Contact with hypodermic needle
- W49Exposure to other inanimate mechanical forces
W20-W49 MS-DRGs
This code does not group to an MS-DRG as a principal diagnosis.