2025 ICD-10-CM code W10.0
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Deletion Date: N/A External causes of morbidity - Falls Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality Feed
Fall from or on an escalator.
Modifiers may apply depending on the circumstances of the fall and the services rendered.
The medical necessity is established by the need for treatment of injuries resulting from the fall.This may include emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, or other services deemed medically necessary.
The clinical responsibility includes assessing the patient for injuries resulting from the fall, providing appropriate treatment, and documenting the incident and injuries for billing and reporting purposes.
In simple words: This code is for someone who fell on or from an escalator.The doctor will use another code to describe any injuries.
This code classifies a fall from or on an escalator.It is used to describe the circumstance of the injury, not the nature of the injury itself.Additional codes will be needed to specify the injury sustained as a result of the fall.This code is part of the broader category of falls (W00-W19) and specifically addresses falls involving escalators.
Example 1: A 60-year-old woman trips on an escalator and falls, sustaining a fractured wrist and concussion.W10.0 is coded along with codes for the fracture and concussion from Chapter 19., A 10-year-old child falls while riding an escalator, resulting in minor abrasions. W10.0 is coded along with a code for abrasions from Chapter 19., An elderly man with a history of balance problems falls on an escalator, suffering a hip fracture.W10.0 is coded along with a code for the hip fracture and any other related injuries from Chapter 19.The pre-existing balance problem would be coded separately as Z91.81 (history of falls).
Detailed documentation is required, including a description of the incident (location, time, circumstances of the fall), the mechanism of injury (fall from escalator), the nature and extent of injuries, and any treatment provided.
** This code is for use when the fall occurred on or from an escalator.Other codes might be needed to describe the resulting injuries and circumstances of the fall (e.g., external causes of injury codes).
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Not applicable.
- Specialties:Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics, General Surgery
- Place of Service:Emergency Room - Hospital, Office, Outpatient Hospital