POA Exempt: Exposure to forces of nature (X30-X39) ICD-10-CM
The 47 ICD-10-CM codes in this range are exempt from Present on Admission reporting for fiscal year 2026. Hospitals assign no POA indicator for them on inpatient claims: the codes describe circumstances, such as pre-existing conditions or the cause of an injury, where asking whether the condition was present at admission adds no information.
Exempt Codes in This Range 47 codes · 9 categories
X30 Exposure to excessive natural heat3 codes
X31 Exposure to excessive natural cold3 codes
X32 Exposure to sunlight3 codes
X35 Volcanic eruption3 codes
X36 Avalanche, landslide and other earth movements4 codes
X37 Cataclysmic storm18 codes
- X37.0XXD Hurricane, subsequent encounter
- X37.0XXS Hurricane, sequela
- X37.1XXD Tornado, subsequent encounter
- X37.1XXS Tornado, sequela
- X37.2XXD Blizzard (snow)(ice), subsequent encounter
- X37.2XXS Blizzard (snow)(ice), sequela
- X37.3XXD Dust storm, subsequent encounter
- X37.3XXS Dust storm, sequela
- X37.41XD Tidal wave due to earthquake or volcanic eruption, subsequent encounter
- X37.41XS Tidal wave due to earthquake or volcanic eruption, sequela
- X37.42XD Tidal wave due to storm, subsequent encounter
- X37.42XS Tidal wave due to storm, sequela
- X37.43XD Tidal wave due to landslide, subsequent encounter
- X37.43XS Tidal wave due to landslide, sequela
- X37.8XXD Other cataclysmic storms, subsequent encounter
- X37.8XXS Other cataclysmic storms, sequela
- X37.9XXD Unspecified cataclysmic storm, subsequent encounter
- X37.9XXS Unspecified cataclysmic storm, sequela
X39 Exposure to other forces of nature9 codes
- X39.01XA Exposure to radon, initial encounter
- X39.01XD Exposure to radon, subsequent encounter
- X39.01XS Exposure to radon, sequela
- X39.08XA Exposure to other natural radiation, initial encounter
- X39.08XD Exposure to other natural radiation, subsequent encounter
- X39.08XS Exposure to other natural radiation, sequela
- X39.8XXA Other exposure to forces of nature, initial encounter
- X39.8XXD Other exposure to forces of nature, subsequent encounter
- X39.8XXS Other exposure to forces of nature, sequela
Questions About This Category
Why are these codes POA exempt?
The codes for exposure to forces of nature describe circumstances where the Present on Admission question has no meaning, so CMS exempts them from the indicator. The exemption is published in the official FY 2026 CMS exempt file.
How many codes in this range are exempt?
The FY 2026 exempt list contains 47 codes in this range, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Are these codes billable?
The exemption only removes the POA indicator requirement, it does not change how a code is used on claims. Billable status is shown per code: blue codes are billable, and any codes shown in the amber tone are category headers that need more characters.
More POA Exempt Categories
Source: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM POA exempt file, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. See also the Medicare Code Edits and the MS-DRG list.
