2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code W46.1XXD

Contact with contaminated hypodermic needle, subsequent encounter

ICD-10-CM Code:
W46.1XXD
ICD-10 Code for:
Contact with contaminated hypodermic needle, subs encntr
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)
      • Contact with hypodermic needle
        (W46)

W46.1XXD is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of contact with contaminated hypodermic needle, subsequent 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.

W46.1XXD is a subsequent encounter code, includes a 7th character and should be used after the patient has completed active treatment for a condition like contact with contaminated hypodermic needle. According to ICD-10-CM Guidelines a "subsequent encounter" occurs when the patient is receiving routine care for the condition during the healing or recovery phase of treatment. Subsequent diagnosis codes are appropriate during the recovery phase, no matter how many times the patient has seen the provider for this condition. If the provider needs to adjust the patient's care plan due to a setback or other complication, the encounter becomes active again.

Approximate Synonyms

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

  • Exposure to body fluid due to accidental needle stick injury
  • Injury due to assault with used injection needle
  • Traumatic injury due to assault

Clinical Classification

Convert W46.1XXD to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: E920.5 - Acc-hypodermic needle
    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


Occupational Health for Health Care Providers

Health care workers are exposed to many job hazards. These can include :

  • Infections
  • Needle injuries
  • Back injuries
  • Allergy-causing substances
  • Violence
  • Stress

Follow good job safety and injury prevention practices. They can reduce your risk of health problems. Use protective equipment, follow infection control guidelines, learn the right way to lift heavy objects, and find ways to manage stress.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health


[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.