2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code T88.9XXA

Complication of surgical and medical care, unspecified, initial encounter

ICD-10-CM Code:
T88.9XXA
ICD-10 Code for:
Complication of surgical and medical care, unsp, init encntr
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
    (S00–T88)
    • Complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified
      (T80-T88)
      • Other complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified
        (T88)

T88.9XXA is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of complication of surgical and medical care, unspecified, initial 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.

T88.9XXA is an initial encounter code, includes a 7th character and should be used while the patient is receiving active treatment for a condition like complication of surgical and medical care unspecified. According to ICD-10-CM Guidelines an "initial encounter" doesn't necessarily means "initial visit". The 7th character should be used when the patient is undergoing active treatment regardless if new or different providers saw the patient over the course of a treatment. The appropriate 7th character codes should also be used even if the patient delayed seeking treatment for a condition.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like T88.9XXA are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Approximate Synonyms

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

  • Accident during hyperbaric treatment
  • Accidental wound in surgical operation
  • Adverse event following complementary therapy
  • Adverse reaction to UVB light phototherapy
  • Complication of electroshock therapy
  • Complication of health care
  • Complication of medical care
  • Complication of preventive medicine procedure
  • Electroshock therapy as the cause of abnormal reaction of patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of procedure
  • Hepatic failure as a complication of care
  • Iatrogenic disorder
  • Iatrogenic tattoo
  • Injury as a result of positioning
  • Perioperative injury
  • Perioperative positioning injury
  • Respiratory complications of care
  • Severe medical complication
  • Shock therapy as the cause of abnormal reaction of patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of procedure
  • Tattoo of skin
  • Vascular complication of medical care
  • Voice disorder due to iatrogenic factor

Clinical Classification

Coding Guidelines

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Other complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified (T88). Use the following options for the aplicable episode of care:

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

Convert T88.9XXA to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 999.9 - Complic med care NEC/NOS
    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.

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.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.