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  5. Earthquake (X34)

Earthquake (X34)

The ICD-10 code X34 is used specifically to identify injuries or health issues caused by an earthquake. This set of codes captures whether the medical encounter is the initial visit, a follow-up, or treatment of long-term effects linked to the earthquake event.

The codes under X34 categorize patients affected by an earthquake, also known by terms such as "accident caused by movement of earth's crust" or "victim of cataclysmic earth movements." For example, X34.XXXA is assigned when a patient is seen for the first time due to injuries or conditions caused by the earthquake. The X34.XXXD code applies to subsequent encounters related to the same event, and X34.XXXS is used for sequela, meaning ongoing complications or late effects that persist after the initial injury. Using the ICD-10 code for earthquakes helps healthcare providers and coders document and track care linked to this specific natural disaster accurately.

Instructional Notations

Type 2 Excludes

A type 2 excludes note represents "Not included here". An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

  • tidal wave tsunami due to earthquake X37.41

7th Character Note

Certain ICD-10-CM categories have applicable 7th characters. The applicable 7th character is required for all codes within the category, or as the notes in the Tabular List instruct. The 7th character must always be the 7th character in the data field. If a code that requires a 7th character is not 6 characters, a placeholder X must be used to fill in the empty characters.

  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to code X34

7th Character

Indicates that a seventh character is to be assigned to codes in a subcategory.

  • A - initial encounter
  • D - subsequent encounter
  • S - sequela