W20.8 — Other cause of strike by thrown, projected or falling object
W20.8 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for other cause of strike by thrown, projected or falling object. 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 W20
- 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.
- struck by thrown sports equipment (W21.-)
Excludes1 inherited from the categories above W20.8
These are not written on W20.8, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing W20.8 with anything listed here is a denial.
Other codes that can never be billed with W20.8
These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at W20.8. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading W20.8 alone.
- W13.9Fall from, out of or through building, not otherwise specified
- W13.9XXAFall from, out of or through building, not otherwise specified, initial encounter
- W13.9XXDFall from, out of or through building, not otherwise specified, subsequent encounter
- W13.9XXSFall from, out of or through building, not otherwise specified, sequela
- W22.8Striking against or struck by other objects
- W22.8XXAStriking against or struck by other objects, initial encounter
- W22.8XXDStriking against or struck by other objects, subsequent encounter
- W22.8XXSStriking against or struck by other objects, sequela
Risk adjustment
W20.8 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 W20.8 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 W20.8.
- Rock falling on or hitting(accidentally) (person)
- Tree falling on or hitting(accidentally) (person)
- Fall, falling›rock
- Fall, falling›stone
- Fall, falling›timber
- Fall, falling›tree(caused by lightning)
- Struck by›object›falling
- Struck by›object›moving NEC
- Struck by›object›projected
- Struck by›object›thrown
- Struck by›vehicle NEC›stationary(falling from jack, hydraulic lift, ramp)
- Crushed›by›falling›object NEC
Code history
W20.8 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.
Code to one of these instead W20.8
3 child codes. Green means billable.
Related codes at this level
Codes that share W20. If W20.8 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
Questions about W20.8
- Is W20.8 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- No. W20.8 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
- Where does W20.8 sit in the tabular list?
- External causes of morbidity (V00-Y99), in the block Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (W20-W49).
- What cannot be coded together with W20.8?
- W20.8 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 W20.8 (W20) and apply to it just the same.