ICD-10-CM Code W46
Contact with hypodermic needle
Non-Billable Code
Non-Billable means the code is not sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used a principal diagnosis. Use a child code to capture more detail.ICD Code W46 is a non-billable code. To code a diagnosis of this type, you must use one of the two child codes of W46 that describes the diagnosis 'contact with hypodermic needle' in more detail.
- W46 Contact with hypodermic needle NON-BILLABLE
-
-
The ICD code W46 is used to code Needlestick injury
Established within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Surveillance System for Healthcare Workers (NaSH) defines a percutaneous injury, or needle-stick injury (NSI), as penetration of skin resulting from a needle or other sharp object, which prior to the exposure was in contact with blood, tissue, or other body fluid. Occupational needle-stick injuries are most prevalent within the healthcare sector. Approximately 80% of all workplace NSI in the US occur among healthcare workers (HCW). Various other occupations are also at increased risk of NSI, including but not limited to law enforcement, laborers, tattoo artists, food preparers, and agricultural workers. Though the acute physiological effects of a needle-stick injury are generally negligible, the efficiency with which these devices transmit blood-borne diseases place those exposed to occupational NSI at increased risk of contracting infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Among healthcare workers (HCW) & laboratory personnel worldwide, more than 25 blood-borne viruses have been reported associated with NSI.
| MeSH Code: | D016602 |
| ICD 9 Code: | E920.5 |
Coding Notes for W46 Info for medical coders on how to properly use this ICD-10 code
-
7th Character Extension Notes:
What is 7th Character Extension?
For codes less than 6 characters that require a 7th character a placeholder 'X' should be assigned for all characters less than 6. The 7th character must always be the 7th position of a code. E.g. The ICD-10-CM code T67.4 (Heat exhaustion due to salt depletion) requires an Episode of Care identifier. T67.4XXA Initial Encounter or T67.4XXD Subsequent Encounter. More Info - The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category See Code W46
Related Concepts SNOMET-CT
- Needle stick injury of forehead (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of palm of hand (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of dorsum of hand (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of eye region (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of groin (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of nose (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of shoulder (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of elbow (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of wrist (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of thumb (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of chest (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of genitalia (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of toe (disorder)
- Needle stick injury of great toe (disorder)
Coding Advice SNOMET-CT
- Possible requirement for place of occurrence
ICD-10-CM External Cause Index References for 'W46 - Contact with hypodermic needle'
The ICD-10-CM External Cause Index links the below-listed medical terms to the ICD code W46. Click on any term below to browse the external cause index.