2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code W73.XXXA

Other specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion, initial encounter

ICD-10-CM Code:
W73.XXXA
ICD-10 Code for:
Oth cause of accidental non-transport drown, init
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • External causes of morbidity and mortality
    (V01–Y99)
    • Accidental non-transport drowning and submersion
      (W65-W74)
      • Other specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion
        (W73)

W73.XXXA is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of other specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion, initial encounter. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024. The code is exempt from present on admission (POA) reporting for inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals.

W73.XXXA is an initial encounter code, includes a 7th character and should be used while the patient is receiving active treatment for a condition like other specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion. According to ICD-10-CM Guidelines an "initial encounter" doesn't necessarily means "initial visit". The 7th character should be used when the patient is undergoing active treatment regardless if new or different providers saw the patient over the course of a treatment. The appropriate 7th character codes should also be used even if the patient delayed seeking treatment for a condition.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Accidental drowning and submersion while engaged in sport or recreational activity without diving equipment
  • Accidental drowning and submersion while hunting, except from boat or with diving equipment
  • Accidental drowning or immersion during marine salvage
  • Accidental drowning or immersion during placement fishing nets
  • Accidental drowning or immersion during recreation
  • Accidental drowning or immersion during underwater construction
  • Accidental drowning or immersion during underwater repairs
  • Accidental drowning or immersion in course of work
  • Accidental drowning or immersion in course of work
  • Accidental drowning or immersion in quenching tank
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while ice skating
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while pearl diving
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while playing in water
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while surfboarding
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while swimming
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while wading in water
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while water skiing
  • Accidental drowning or immersion while windsurfing
  • Drowning
  • Drowning in liquid other than water

Clinical Classification

Clinical CategoryCCSR Category CodeInpatient Default CCSROutpatient Default CCSR
External cause codes: drowning/submersion; initial encounterEXT002X - Not applicable.X - Not applicable.
External cause codes: intent of injury, accidental/unintentionalEXT020X - Not applicable.X - Not applicable.

Clinical Information

  • Drowning

    death that occurs as a result of anoxia or heart arrest, associated with immersion in liquid.
  • Near Drowning

    non-fatal immersion or submersion in water. the subject is resuscitable.

Present on Admission (POA)

W73.XXXA is exempt from POA reporting - The Present on Admission (POA) indicator is used for diagnosis codes included in claims involving inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals. POA indicators must be reported to CMS on each claim to facilitate the grouping of diagnoses codes into the proper Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG). CMS publishes a listing of specific diagnosis codes that are exempt from the POA reporting requirement. Review other POA exempt codes here.

CMS POA Indicator Options and Definitions

POA IndicatorReason for CodeCMS will pay the CC/MCC DRG?
YDiagnosis was present at time of inpatient admission.YES
NDiagnosis was not present at time of inpatient admission.NO
UDocumentation insufficient to determine if the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.NO
WClinically undetermined - unable to clinically determine whether the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.YES
1Unreported/Not used - Exempt from POA reporting. NO

Convert W73.XXXA to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: E910.8 - Accidental drowning NEC
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Drowning

People drown when they get too much water in their lungs. You can drown in as little as an inch or two of water. Babies can drown in a sink or bathtub. Preschoolers are most likely to drown in a swimming pool. People who have seizure disorders are also at risk in the water. Drowning can happen quickly and silently.

Drowning precautions should include:

  • Fences around pools
  • Supervising children near any body of water, including tubs
  • Not swimming or boating when under the influence of alcohol or sedatives
  • Wearing life jackets when boating
  • Learning CPR

[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.