W23 vs W27
W23 (Caught, crushed, jammed or pinched in or between objects) compared with W27 (Contact with nonpowered hand tool), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.
Can these codes be reported together?
No — do not report together. W23 carries an Excludes1 note covering W27: “injury caused by cutting or piercing instruments (W25-W27)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
No — do not report together. W23 carries an Excludes1 note covering W27: “injury caused by nonpowered hand tools (W27.-)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
Side by side
| W23Caught, crushed, jammed or pinched in or between objects | W27Contact with nonpowered hand tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: W23.0XXA, W23.0XXD, W23.0XXS, W23.1XXA, W23.1XXD | Non-billable header Report instead: W27.0XXA, W27.0XXD, W27.0XXS, W27.1XXA, W27.1XXD |
| Classification | V00-Y99 — External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99) | V00-Y99 — External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99) |
| Definition | Caught, crushed, jammed or pinched in or between objects is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (W23). | Contact with nonpowered hand tool is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (W27). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W23 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W27 |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources