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 an Excludes1 note, which means the conditions it lists can never be coded together with it on the same encounter.

W20.8

W20.8 — Other cause of strike by thrown, projected or falling object

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

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.-)

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 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 an Excludes1 note, which means the conditions it lists can never be coded together with it on the same encounter.