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W16.321

W16.321: Fall into other water striking bottom causing drowning and submersion

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

W16.321 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for fall into other water striking bottom causing drowning and submersion. 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 W16

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.

  • drowning and submersion while in other water without fall (W73)

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above W16.321

A category’s note binds every code beneath it.

Written on W16: Fall, jump or diving into water

  • accidental non-watercraft drowning and submersion not involving fall (W65-W74)
  • effects of air pressure from diving (W94.-)
  • fall into water from watercraft (V90-V94)
  • hitting an object or against bottom when falling from watercraft (V94.0)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above W16.321

Not part of this code, but both may be coded when both are present.

Written on W16: Fall, jump or diving into water

  • striking or hitting diving board (W21.4)

Other codes that can never be billed with W16.321

Their own Excludes1 notes name this code, so the conflict is not listed above.

  • V90Drowning and submersion due to accident to watercraft
  • V92Drowning and submersion due to accident on board watercraft, without accident to watercraft
  • W73Other specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion
  • W73.XXXAOther specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion, initial encounter
  • W73.XXXDOther specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion, subsequent encounter
  • W73.XXXSOther specified cause of accidental non-transport drowning and submersion, sequela

Risk adjustment

No CMS-HCC V28 category: this code does not change a RAF score.

Alphabetic index entries that lead here

  • Striking against›bottom when›falling into water›causing drowning
  • Striking against›bottom when›falling into water›specified NEC›causing drowning
  • Drowning›in›specified place NEC›following›fall›striking›bottom
  • Drowning›following›fall›into›water NOS›specified NEC›striking›bottom
  • Fall, falling›into›water›in›specified water NEC›striking›bottom›causing drowning

Code history

Unchanged in every release from FY2024 to FY2027.

Code to one of these instead W16.321

3 child codes. Green means billable.

Other codes under W16.32

ICD-10-CMFY2027· effective October 1, 2026

Loaded directly from the CMS/NCHS ICD-10-CM public-domain release: see data sources and our editorial policy. If this page disagrees with the CMS tabular list, this page is wrong. Reference information for professional coders; not medical or billing advice.