2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code W74.XXXS

Unspecified cause of accidental drowning and submersion, sequela

ICD-10-CM Code:
W74.XXXS
ICD-10 Code for:
Unsp cause of accidental drowning and submersion, sequela
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)
      • Unspecified cause of accidental drowning and submersion
        (W74)

W74.XXXS is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of unspecified cause of accidental drowning and submersion, sequela. 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.

W74.XXXS is a sequela code, includes a 7th character and should be used for complications that arise as a direct result of a condition like unspecified cause of accidental drowning and submersion. According to ICD-10-CM Guidelines a "sequela" code should be used for chronic or residual conditions that are complications of an initial acute disease, illness or injury. The most common sequela is pain. Usually, two diagnosis codes are needed when reporting sequela. The first code describes the nature of the sequela while the second code describes the sequela or late effect.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like W74.XXXS are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Approximate Synonyms

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

  • Accident caused by immersion, suffocation, foreign body
  • Accidental drowning and submersion
  • Accidental drowning or immersion during rescue attempt person
  • Accidental drowning or immersion in course of work
  • Cardiac arrest due to drowning
  • Drowning
  • Dry drowning
  • Immersion
  • Recreation submersion accident
  • Submersion - accidental

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Epilepsy, Reflex

    a subtype of epilepsy characterized by seizures that are consistently provoked by a certain specific stimulus. auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimuli as well as the acts of writing, reading, eating, and decision making are examples of events or activities that may induce seizure activity in affected individuals. (from neurol clin 1994 feb;12(1):57-8)
  • Immersion

    the placing of a body or a part thereof into a liquid.
  • Immersion Foot

    a condition of the feet produced by prolonged exposure of the feet to water. exposure for 48 hours or more to warm water causes tropical immersion foot or warm-water immersion foot common in vietnam where troops were exposed to prolonged or repeated wading in paddy fields or streams. trench foot results from prolonged exposure to cold, without actual freezing. it was common in trench warfare during world war i, when soldiers stood, sometimes for hours, in trenches with a few inches of cold water in them. (andrews' diseases of the skin, 8th ed, p27)
  • 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)

W74.XXXS 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 W74.XXXS to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: E929.8 - Late eff accident 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.