2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code T68.XXXAHypothermia, initial encounter
T68.XXXA is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for hypothermia, initial encounter. The 7th character A marks it as an initial encounter code, used while the patient is receiving active treatment. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 922 through 923. Coders also document this condition as accidental hypothermia in elderly person. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Effect of other external causes, initial encounter.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Accidental hypothermia in elderly person
- Body temperature below reference range
- Effects of exposure to extreme temperature
- Hypothermia
- Hypothermia - accidental
- Hypothermia caused by cold environment
- Immersion hypothermia
- Thrombocytopenia due to hypothermia
- Unplanned perioperative hypothermia
Coding GuidelinesGuidance
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Hypothermia (T68). Use the following options for the applicable episode of care:
- A - initial encounter
- D - subsequent encounter
- S - sequela
Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027, published by CMS and the National Center for Health Statistics.
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to T68.XXXA: its own notes plus those printed at T68, block T66-T78, and Chapter 19. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
Use Additional Code
Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.
- code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)
Code Also
A second code may be needed to fully describe the condition; the note gives no sequencing direction.
- if applicable, place of occurrence, such as:
- highway rest stop (Y92.523)
- school (private) (public) (state) as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.21-)
- service areas as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.52-)
- single-family non-institutional (private) house as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.01-)
- transport vehicle as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.81-)
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- Use secondary code(s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code
- The chapter uses the S-section for coding different types of injuries related to single body regions and the T-section to cover injuries to unspecified body regions as well as poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.
7th Character
Every code in the category takes a 7th character from the listed values, with the placeholder X filling any empty positions before it.
- The appropriate 7th character is to be added to code T68
- Ainitial encounter this code
- Dsubsequent encounter
- Ssequela
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name T68.XXXA, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes1 2
These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming T68.XXXA: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Excludes2 1
These codes carry an Excludes2 note naming T68.XXXA: its condition is not part of those codes, and both may be reported when the patient has both.
- Block T33-T34 Frostbitehypothermia and other effects of reduced temperature (T68, T69.-) names T68, which includes this code
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Hypothermia
lower than normal body temperature, especially in warm-blooded animals.
Patient EducationClinical
Hypothermia
Cold weather can affect your body in different ways. You can get frostbite, which is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. Your body can also lose heat faster than you can produce it. That can cause hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. It can make you sleepy, confused, and clumsy.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert T68.XXXA to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About T68.XXXAOverview
What is the ICD-10 code for hypothermia, initial encounter?
The ICD-10-CM code for hypothermia, initial encounter is T68.XXXA (sometimes written as T68XXXA). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is T68.XXXA (Hypothermia) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report hypothermia, initial encounter on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What does the 7th character A in T68.XXXA mean?
The final character A marks the initial encounter: use it while the patient is receiving active treatment for hypothermia, such as an emergency visit or first evaluation.
What MS-DRG does T68.XXXA group to?
When hypothermia, initial encounter is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 923, 922, with relative weights from 0.9980 to 1.6248 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can T68.XXXA be reported with T88.51?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at T68, which applies to T68.XXXA, lists "hypothermia following anesthesia (T88.51)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
