W69.XXXA ICD-10-CM Code: Accidental drowning and submersion while in natural water, initial encounter
Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.
Official Registry Overview & Definition
Official Tabular Instructional Notes
Sequencing, inclusion, and exclusion notes published for W69.XXXA in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list.
Inclusion Terms
Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.
- Accidental drowning and submersion while in lake
- Accidental drowning and submersion while in open sea
- Accidental drowning and submersion while in river
- Accidental drowning and submersion while in stream
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).
- accidental drowning and submersion due to fall into natural body of water (W16.111, W16.121, W16.131) Compare W69.XXXA vs W16.111 →
- accidental drowning and submersion due to fall into water (W16.-) Compare W69.XXXA vs W16 →
- accidental drowning and submersion due to water transport accident (V90.-, V92.-) Compare W69.XXXA vs V90 →
Excludes2 — Not Included Here
Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.
- accidental drowning and submersion due to cataclysm (X34-X39) Compare W69.XXXA vs X34 →
Frequently Compared Codes
The official Excludes notes on W69.XXXA name these codes. Each comparison page covers when the two can — or must not — be reported together.
Change history
No changes recorded for this code — unchanged since the FY2016 baseline of the change ledger.
Verify Before Coding
- 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.
Contextual Map
Every relationship of W69.XXXA 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.
Hierarchy
- V00-Y99 — Chapter 20: External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99) (V00-Y99) [Hierarchy]
- W00-X58 — Other external causes of accidental injury [Hierarchy]
- W65-W74 — Accidental non-transport drowning and submersion [Hierarchy]
Clinical classification (CCSR)
- EXT002 — External cause codes: drowning/submersion; initial encounter [CCSR]
- EXT020 — External cause codes: intent of injury, accidental/unintentional [CCSR]
Nearest codes
Relationships & Classification
Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):EXT002 — External cause codes: drowning/submersion; initial encounter; EXT020 — External cause codes: intent of injury, accidental/unintentional.
Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Clinical Guidance
Does W69.XXXA require a 7th character?
Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to code W69.
Nearest Codes in This Family
Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to W69.XXXA in its code family, with their registry titles.