T71.21 — Asphyxiation due to cave-in or falling earth
T71.21 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for asphyxiation due to cave-in or falling earth. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below. This code also requires a 7th character before it is complete.
This code requires a 7th character
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71
- A
- initial encounter
- D
- subsequent encounter
- S
- sequela
Risk adjustment
T71.21 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.
How T71.21 is indexed
Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to T71.21.
- Asphyxia, asphyxiation›traumatic›due to›low oxygen content of ambient air›due to›cave-in
Code to one of these instead T71.21
3 child codes. Green means billable.
Related codes at this level
Codes that share T71.2. If T71.21 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
- T71.20Asphyxiation due to systemic oxygen deficiency due to low oxygen content in ambient air due to unspecified cause
- T71.22Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk
- T71.23Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator
- T71.29Asphyxiation due to being trapped in other low oxygen environment
Questions about T71.21
- Is T71.21 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- No. T71.21 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
- Where does T71.21 sit in the tabular list?
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88), in the block Other and unspecified effects of external causes (T66-T78).