2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code W34.010A

Accidental discharge of airgun, initial encounter

ICD-10-CM Code:
W34.010A
ICD-10 Code for:
Accidental discharge of airgun, initial encounter
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • External causes of morbidity and mortality
    (V01–Y99)
    • Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces
      (W20-W49)
      • Accidental discharge and malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns
        (W34)

W34.010A is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of accidental discharge of airgun, 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.

W34.010A is an initial encounter code, includes a 7th character and should be used while the patient is receiving active treatment for a condition like accidental discharge of airgun. 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:

  • Accident caused by air rifle
  • Accidentally struck by or against stationary object
  • Injury due to airgun pellet
  • Injury due to low velocity bullet
  • Open wound foot, plantar
  • Open wound of hand, dorsum
  • Pellet wound
  • Pellet wound of back
  • Pellet wound of cheek
  • Pellet wound of dorsum of foot
  • Pellet wound of dorsum of hand
  • Pellet wound of ear region
  • Pellet wound of elbow
  • Pellet wound of eye region
  • Pellet wound of face
  • Pellet wound of face
  • Pellet wound of face
  • Pellet wound of face
  • Pellet wound of finger
  • Pellet wound of foot
  • Pellet wound of foot
  • Pellet wound of foot
  • Pellet wound of forearm
  • Pellet wound of forehead
  • Pellet wound of genitalia
  • Pellet wound of great toe
  • Pellet wound of hand
  • Pellet wound of hand
  • Pellet wound of hand
  • Pellet wound of hand
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head
  • Pellet wound of head and neck
  • Pellet wound of hip
  • Pellet wound of lower leg
  • Pellet wound of mouth
  • Pellet wound of neck
  • Pellet wound of neck
  • Pellet wound of neck
  • Pellet wound of nose
  • Pellet wound of palm of hand
  • Pellet wound of perineum
  • Pellet wound of scalp
  • Pellet wound of shin
  • Pellet wound of sole of foot
  • Pellet wound of throat
  • Pellet wound of thumb
  • Pellet wound of toe
  • Pellet wound of toe
  • Pellet wound of trunk
  • Pellet wound of trunk
  • Pellet wound of trunk
  • Pellet wound of trunk
  • Pellet wound of upper arm
  • Pellet wound of wrist

Clinical Classification

Clinical CategoryCCSR Category CodeInpatient Default CCSROutpatient Default CCSR
External cause codes: intent of injury, accidental/unintentionalEXT020X - Not applicable.X - Not applicable.
External cause codes: other specified, classifiable and NEC; initial encounterEXT018X - Not applicable.X - Not applicable.

Present on Admission (POA)

W34.010A 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 W34.010A to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: E922.4 - Accident - air gun
    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


Wounds and Injuries

An injury is damage to your body. It is a general term that refers to harm caused by accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. In the U.S., millions of people injure themselves every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening. Injuries can happen at work or play, indoors or outdoors, driving a car, or walking across the street.

Wounds are injuries that break the skin or other body tissues. They include cuts, scrapes, scratches, and punctured skin. They often happen because of an accident, but surgery, sutures, and stitches also cause wounds. Minor wounds usually aren't serious, but it is important to clean them. Serious and infected wounds may require first aid followed by a visit to your doctor. You should also seek attention if the wound is deep, you cannot close it yourself, you cannot stop the bleeding or get the dirt out, or it does not heal.

Other common types of injuries include:

  • Animal bites
  • Bruises
  • Burns
  • Dislocations
  • Electrical injuries
  • Fractures (broken bones)
  • Sprains and strains

[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.