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W46 ICD-10-CM Code: Contact with hypodermic needle

Compare with another codeCheck this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — characters A · D · S
Tabular directives
4 Excludes1

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for W46 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on W46 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 W20-W49

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W46"

  • A — initial encounter
  • 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

W46.0XXA, W46.0XXD, W46.0XXS, W46.1XXA, W46.1XXD, W46.1XXS

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 W46

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

Before you code W46

  1. W46 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewW46.0, W46.1

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. A 7th character is required in this family. Confirm the documented encounter: initial (active treatment), subsequent (healing or recovery phase), or sequela. W46 is not valid without one. “Initial” means active treatment, not the first visit (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

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

  3. W46’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 →

  4. An external cause code is reported in addition to the code for the injury or condition, never as the principal or first-listed diagnosis. Confirm the cause, intent, place of occurrence, activity and status where the record documents them, and assign the 7th character that matches the injury code. External cause coding guidelines (Guidelines I.C.20.a).

  5. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with W46. 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 one of the more specific codes beneath W46?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → W46 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewW46.0, W46.1

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in W46’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.

    ReviewY36, Y37

  3. 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 W46. Then 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 W46(4 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with W46: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareY36, Y37

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

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: Both the condition W46 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).

ReviewY36, Y37

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 W46 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.

Coding context

The comparisons, hierarchy, index entries, guidelines, relationships, risk-adjustment and coverage context a coder commonly needs. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Don’t confuse W46 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of W46 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • X92— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of assault moves the case to X92; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: W46 vs X92 →

  • Y09— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of assault moves the case to Y09; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: W46 vs Y09 →

  • W50— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of contact or collision with animals or persons moves the case to W50; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: W46 vs W50 →

  • W64— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of contact or collision with animals or persons moves the case to W64; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: W46 vs W64 →

  • Y36— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of exposure to inanimate mechanical forces involving military or war operations moves the case to Y36; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: W46 vs Y36 →

  • Y37— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of exposure to inanimate mechanical forces involving military or war operations moves the case to Y37; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: W46 vs Y37 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Code Overview

Contact with hypodermic needle is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (W46). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

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

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: W46.0XXA, W46.0XXD, W46.0XXS, W46.1XXA, W46.1XXD.
  • Requires a 7th character. "The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W46" Options: W46.0XXA, W46.0XXD, W46.0XXS, W46.1XXA, W46.1XXD, W46.1XXS
  • Principal-diagnosis restriction. External cause of morbidity codes (V, W, X and Y) describe the circumstance that caused an injury, not the condition treated. The Medicare Code Editor rejects them as a principal diagnosis; sequence the injury or condition first and report this code as secondary.

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-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name W46 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: W27.3 — Contact with needle (sewing).

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

Contextual Map

Every relationship of W46 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 W46 with these 9 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1 (29)

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Nearest codes

Change history

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

Deep reference

Published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can W46 be billed directly?

No. W46 (Contact with hypodermic needle) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Does W46 require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W46; A: initial encounter; D: subsequent encounter; S: sequela.

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 FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) 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-derived 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 editorial 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.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 20, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "W46 — Contact with hypodermic needle." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/w46-contact-with-hypodermic-needle

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Contact with hypodermic needle

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, 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 W46 in its code family, with their registry titles.