Contact with nonpowered hand tool (W27)

This group of ICD-10 codes, beginning with W27, specifically documents injuries caused by contact with nonpowered hand tools. These codes are used to classify accidents involving various manual tools such as workbench tools, garden tools, scissors, sewing needles, kitchen utensils, paper-cutters, and other hand-operated implements.

The ICD-10 code for contact with nonpowered hand tool covers a range of injuries from cuts and punctures to needle stick wounds. For example, W27.0XXA details initial encounters with workbench tool injuries, which may include accidents caused by axes, chisels, or hand saws. Similarly, W27.1XXA captures initial injuries related to garden tools like rakes or lawn mowers, while W27.3XXA is used for accidental needle stick injuries from sewing needles or other sharp objects. Each code includes variants for initial, subsequent, and sequela encounters, helping coders accurately document the stage of care. Including synonyms like “accidental needle stick injury” or “accident caused by paper cutter” clarifies the specific scenarios these codes cover. This detailed classification aids healthcare professionals and medical coders in correctly identifying and reporting injuries from diverse nonpowered hand tools.

Instructional Notations

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 each code from category W27

7th Character

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

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