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T71.222A ICD-10-CM Code: Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, intentional self-harm, initial encounter

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — see the character table on this page
Tabular directives
7 Excludes1 · 6 code-also instructions
Risk adjustment
CMS-HCC V28: 1 category · CMS-HCC V22 category 58 · RxHCC V08 category 132

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v43, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 922 — OTHER INJURY, POISONING AND TOXIC EFFECT DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 21)
  • MS-DRG 923 — OTHER INJURY, POISONING AND TOXIC EFFECT DIAGNOSES WITHOUT MCC (MDC 21)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Risk Adjustment (CMS-HCC)

Payment categories this diagnosis maps to under CMS-HCC V28, payment year 2026.

  • HCC 155 — Major Depression, Moderate or Severe, without Psychosis

Other models: CMS-HCC V22 HCC 58 · RxHCC V08 HCC 132

Risk scores depend on the enrollee's full accepted diagnosis set and segment; a category mapping alone does not determine payment.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for T71.222A in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Notes without a marker are published on T71.222A itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from T71

Code Also

Additional codes that may be required to fully describe the encounter.

  • Code also, if applicable, place of occurrence, such as:
  • highway rest stop (Y92.523)
  • school (private) (public) (state) as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.21-)
  • service areas as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.52-)
  • single-family non-institutional (private) house as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.01-)
  • transport vehicle as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.81-)

Source: inherited from T66-T78

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71"

  • A — initial encounter (this page’s code)
  • D — subsequent encounter
  • S — sequela

How the encounter character is assigned. “Initial encounter” means the patient is receiving active treatment for the condition — it is not limited to the first visit, and a different or new provider giving active treatment still assigns it. “Subsequent encounter” covers care during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment. “Sequela” is for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of the original condition.

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.19.a (paraphrased by MedCoder).

Variant codes in this family

T71.222A, T71.222D, T71.222S

Character meanings are CMS's official 7th-character extensions for this family, as carried in each variant code's official description; variant codes are registry rows. The explanation of how the encounter character is assigned is MedCoder editorial, distinct from the official content above it.

Coder workflow for T71.222A

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code T71.222A

  1. A 7th character is required in this family. Confirm the documented encounter: initial (active treatment), subsequent (healing or recovery phase), or sequela. This page’s code carries “A”. “Initial” means active treatment, not the first visit (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

    See the 7th Character Guide · Guide: 7th characters: initial, subsequent, sequela →

  2. T71.222A’s title joins a condition with an associated condition or complication. Confirm each component is documented. Where the classification presumes the link through the “with” convention, only a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it. A combination code is assigned only when it fully identifies the documented conditions; a required second code for the stage, type or manifestation is still reported when the notes ask for it (Guidelines I.B.9, I.A.15).

    Guide: Combination codes →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with T71.222A. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support a condition named in T71.222A’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewJ80, T70.2, R09.01, T58, T17, T59

  2. Is the encounter phase documented — active treatment, healing or recovery, or a sequela?
    Yes → Assign the matching 7th character; the variant codes are in the 7th Character Guide.
    No → The code is invalid without its 7th character — query for the missing element.

Consider T71.222A. Then review the Code Also note, and confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Encounter type
Active treatment, healing or recovery phase, or sequela — the basis of the 7th character (Guidelines I.C.19.a).
The associated condition or complication
Whether the associated condition the title names is documented; the “with” convention presumes some links, and a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it (Guidelines I.A.15).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting T71.222A(7 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with T71.222A: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareJ80, T70.2, R09.01, T58, T17, T59

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Code Also — related condition(6 notes)

    Coding workflow: Review the related condition when both are documented and the instruction applies. A Code Also note does not fix sequencing; the order follows the circumstances of the encounter.

    ReviewY92.523, Y92.21, Y92.52, Y92.01, Y92.81

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.17

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: Both the condition T71.222A describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewJ80, T70.2, R09.01, T58, T17, T59

Documentation: The patient returns during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment of the same condition.

Coding question: Which 7th character applies?

Path: Review the official 7th-character definitions for this family in the 7th Character Guide.

Reason: “Initial encounter” means active treatment, not the first visit; care during recovery takes “subsequent encounter”, and a complication arising from the original condition takes “sequela” (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

Documentation: Only one of the components this code’s title joins is documented.

Coding question: Is T71.222A supported?

Path: Review the code for the documented component on its own.

Reason: A combination code is assigned only when it fully identifies the documented conditions; otherwise the documented component takes its own code (Guidelines I.B.9).

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, intentional self-harm, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.222A).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Indexed Clinical Terms (1)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.

Decision Points

The directives on this code's own record, as a pre-claim checklist.

  1. A 7th character applies in this family. Confirm the documented encounter matches the character assigned. See the official 7th-character definitions and this code’s variants
  2. 6 Code Also notes — a second code may apply; the guidelines leave its sequencing to the circumstances of the encounter. See the Code Also notes
  3. 7 Excludes1 entries — codes named there are generally not reported together with this code (Guidelines I.A.12.a). See the Excludes1 notes

Checklist rows are derived from this code's own official directives; the wording of each check is MedCoder editorial. The official notes themselves are in the sections each row links to.

Verify Before Coding

  • CC as a secondary diagnosis (FY2026). Can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name T71.222A or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 1 Excludes1 note: R09.0 — Asphyxia and hypoxemia (via T71.-).

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2026)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

CC — Complication or Comorbidity. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, this code raises the stay's MS-DRG severity tier — except when the principal diagnosis is one of 39 clinically related codes on its CMS exclusion list.

Named in the grouper logic of 2 MS-DRGs: DRG 922 (MDC 21), DRG 923 (MDC 21).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):MBD012 — Suicidal ideation/attempt/intentional self-harm (default); EXT017 — External cause codes: suffocation/inhalation; initial encounter; EXT021 — External cause codes: intent of injury, self-harm; INJ021 — Effect of other external causes, initial encounter.

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical process (MS-DRG)

Acts as CC — raises the severity of other admissions. CMS groups these diagnoses into one MS-DRG principal-diagnosis exclusion process — a CC/MCC on this list never raises severity when the principal diagnosis is also on it.

T71.154A — Asphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.161A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, accidental, initial encounter, T71.162A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.163A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, assault, initial encounter, T71.164A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.191A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, initial encounter, T71.192A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.193A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, assault, initial encounter, T71.194A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.20XA — Asphyxiation due to systemic oxygen deficiency due to low oxygen content in ambient air due to unspecified cause, initial encounter, T71.21XA — Asphyxiation due to cave-in or falling earth, initial encounter, T71.221A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, accidental, initial encounter, T71.223A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, assault, initial encounter, T71.224A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.231A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, accidental, initial encounter, T71.232A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.233A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, assault, initial encounter, T71.234A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.29XA — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in other low oxygen environment, initial encounter, T71.9XXA — Asphyxiation due to unspecified cause, initial encounter, +18 more

Same injury, other encounter phase

Same injury, coded at a different phase of treatment via the 7th character.

T71.222D — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, intentional self-harm, subsequent encounterCompare T71.222A vs T71.222D →, T71.222S — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, intentional self-harm, sequelaCompare T71.222A vs T71.222S →

Same CMS-HCC risk category (V28)

CMS maps these diagnoses to the same Hierarchical Condition Category (Major Depression, Moderate or Severe, without Psychosis) for risk-adjusted payment.

T65.832A — Toxic effect of fiberglass, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T65.842A — Toxic effect of xylazine, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T65.892A — Toxic effect of other specified substances, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T65.92XA — Toxic effect of unspecified substance, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.112A — Asphyxiation due to smothering under pillow, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.122A — Asphyxiation due to plastic bag, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.132A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in bed linens, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.152A — Asphyxiation due to smothering in furniture, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.162A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.192A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.232A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, X71.0XXA — Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion while in bathtub, initial encounter, X71.1XXA — Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion while in swimming pool, initial encounter, X71.2XXA — Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion after jump into swimming pool, initial encounter, X71.3XXA — Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion in natural water, initial encounter, X71.8XXA — Other intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion, initial encounter, X71.9XXA — Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion, unspecified, initial encounter, X72.XXXA — Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge, initial encounter, X73.0XXA — Intentional self-harm by shotgun discharge, initial encounter, X73.1XXA — Intentional self-harm by hunting rifle discharge, initial encounter, +350 more

Related risk categories

These categories interact through CMS's HCC hierarchy — one can suppress the other's risk-adjustment weight when both are present on a claim.

Schizophrenia, Psychosis, Except Schizophrenia, Personality Disorders; Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa, Bipolar Disorders without Psychosis

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical categories (Suicidal ideation/attempt/intentional self-harm, External cause codes: suffocation/inhalation; initial encounter, External cause codes: intent of injury, self-harm, Effect of other external causes, initial encounter).

T71.162A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.163A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, assault, initial encounter, T71.164A — Asphyxiation due to hanging, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.191A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, initial encounter, T71.192A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.193A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, assault, initial encounter, T71.194A — Asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.20XA — Asphyxiation due to systemic oxygen deficiency due to low oxygen content in ambient air due to unspecified cause, initial encounter, T71.21XA — Asphyxiation due to cave-in or falling earth, initial encounter, T71.221A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, accidental, initial encounter, T71.223A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, assault, initial encounter, T71.224A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.231A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, accidental, initial encounter, T71.232A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, intentional self-harm, initial encounter, T71.233A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, assault, initial encounter, T71.234A — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a (discarded) refrigerator, undetermined, initial encounter, T71.29XA — Asphyxiation due to being trapped in other low oxygen environment, initial encounter, T71.9XXA — Asphyxiation due to unspecified cause, initial encounter, T73.0XXA — Starvation, initial encounter, T73.1XXA — Deprivation of water, initial encounter, +542 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of T71.222A in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run T71.222A with this related code in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Risk adjustment (CMS-HCC)

  • HCC 155 — Major Depression, Moderate or Severe, without Psychosis [CMS-HCC]— CMS-HCC V28 · 2026

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 21 — Injuries, Poisonings and Toxic Effects of Drugs[MDC crossing]: “Injuries, Poisonings and Toxic Effects of Drugs — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 32,029 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026

Index entries

  • Asphyxia, asphyxiation (by), traumatic, due to, low oxygen content of ambient air, due to, being trapped in, low oxygen environment, in car trunk, done with intent to harm by, self[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026

Nearest codes (40)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Common coding questions

Does T71.222A require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v43 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Risk adjustment Official source data
2026 Mid-Year Final ICD-10 Mappings + Model Software (cms.gov/files/zip/2026-midyear-final-icd-10-mappings.zip, 2026-midyear-final-model-software.zip) — CMS-HCC V28, PY2026 mid-year final release Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk, intentional self-harm, initial encounter

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to T71.222A in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the T71 family