T79.0XXA — Air embolism (traumatic), initial encounter
T79.0XXA is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for air embolism (traumatic), initial encounter. It is valid for submission on a claim.
7th character "A" — initial encounter
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T79
- A
- initial encounter
- D
- subsequent encounter
- S
- sequela
Excludes1 — never code together
These conditions cannot occur together. Billing both on the same encounter is a denial.
Excludes1 inherited from the categories above T79.0XXA
These are not written on T79.0XXA, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing T79.0XXA with anything listed here is a denial.
Written on T79.0 — Air embolism (traumatic)
Excludes2 inherited from the categories above T79.0XXA
Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of T79.0XXA, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.
Risk adjustment
T79.0XXA risk-adjusts. Under the CMS-HCC V28 model it maps to this category:
- HCC 267 Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism0.294 RAF
Coefficient shown for the Community Non-dual Aged segment. A higher HCC in the same hierarchy will suppress this one, so capturing it does not always add score.
Medicare coverage
T79.0XXA is named in 9 Medicare coverage policies — 9 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.
- A56580Billing and Coding: Computerized Axial Tomography (CT), Thorax
- A56612Billing and Coding: CT of the Head
- A56625Billing and Coding: Echocardiography
- A56625Billing and Coding: Echocardiography
Code history
T79.0XXA has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.
Related codes at this level
Codes that share T79.0. If T79.0XXA is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
Questions about T79.0XXA
- Is T79.0XXA a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- Yes. T79.0XXA is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
- Where does T79.0XXA sit in the tabular list?
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88), in the block Certain early complications of trauma (T79).
- What cannot be coded together with T79.0XXA?
- T79.0XXA carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above T79.0XXA (T79.0) and apply to it just the same.