2025 ICD-10-CM code W64
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A External causes of morbidity - Exposure to animate mechanical forces Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality Feed
Exposure to other animate mechanical forces, excluding venomous animal contact.
Modifiers may be applicable depending on the circumstances of the encounter (e.g., place of service, type of service). Consult the appropriate coding guidelines and payer policies.
Medical necessity is established by the presence of injuries requiring medical intervention.Documentation should clearly demonstrate the relationship between the encounter with the animate object and the resulting injuries.
The clinical responsibility lies with the physician who treats the injuries resulting from the exposure to other animate mechanical forces.This may involve assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care for the injuries sustained.
- Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality
- W50-W64 (Exposure to animate mechanical forces)
In simple words: This code is used when someone is hurt by a non-poisonous animal, such as being hit by a bird or scratched by a cat.It's important to also note the specific injury caused by the animal.
This ICD-10-CM code classifies injuries resulting from contact with non-venomous animals or unspecified animate sources.It includes situations where a person is injured by a non-venomous animal in a manner that involves mechanical force (e.g., being hit, kicked, scratched, or crushed). This code should be used as a secondary code following a code from another chapter specifying the injury sustained (e.g., fractures, lacerations).
Example 1: A patient is injured when a large dog knocks them over, resulting in a fractured wrist.W64 would be used secondarily to a code describing the fracture., A patient is attacked by a flock of birds, sustaining multiple lacerations and contusions. W64 would be used secondarily to codes describing each injury., A patient is accidentally kicked in the chest by a horse resulting in a rib fracture.W64 is coded secondarily to a fracture code.
Detailed description of the encounter with the animal, nature of the incident, mechanism of injury, and resulting injuries. Include appropriate imaging reports or other relevant diagnostic findings.Physician's complete assessment, diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis are also required.
** W64 is for non-venomous animals.Venomous animal bites or stings should be coded using codes from category T63.
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Orthopedics
- Place of Service:Emergency Room - Hospital, Office, Urgent Care Facility