2025 ICD-10-CM code X31.XXXA
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Deletion Date: N/A External causes of morbidity - Exposure to excessive natural cold Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality Feed
Exposure to excessive natural cold, initial encounter.
No modifiers apply to this ICD-10-CM code.
Medical necessity is established by the presence of documented injuries or illnesses directly resulting from exposure to excessive natural cold.The treatment provided should be consistent with the severity of the condition and meet accepted standards of medical care.
The clinical responsibility involves documenting the patient's exposure to excessive natural cold, the resulting injury or illness, and the appropriate level of care provided.Accurate coding requires proper documentation of the event leading to the injury or illness and the specific injuries sustained.
- Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality
- External causes of morbidity > Accidents > Exposure to forces of nature
In simple words: This code is used when someone is hurt or gets sick because of being exposed to extreme natural cold for the first time.It's always used along with a code that describes the specific injury or illness caused by the cold.
This ICD-10-CM code classifies the circumstance of exposure to excessive natural cold resulting in an injury or other adverse health effect.It is used as a secondary code, following a code from another chapter specifying the nature of the injury or condition (most often Chapter 19).The code indicates the initial encounter with the excessive cold exposure.It excludes cold exposure of man-made origin.
Example 1: A hiker gets lost in a blizzard and suffers from hypothermia (T68.XXXA) due to exposure to excessive natural cold (X31.XXXA). The hypothermia is a consequence of the exposure., A person experiences frostbite (T33.-) to their fingers and toes after prolonged exposure to extreme cold during winter camping. The frostbite is documented along with the exposure code (X31.XXXA)., An individual experiences a cardiac arrest following exposure to extreme cold, while ice skating. The cardiac arrest (I46.9) is coded along with X31.XXXA reflecting the cause of this complication.
Detailed documentation of the circumstances surrounding the exposure to excessive natural cold is required.This includes the duration and intensity of the cold exposure, environmental conditions, and the specific injuries or illnesses sustained.The clinical documentation must support the diagnosis and justify the medical necessity of the treatment rendered.
** This code is exempt from the Present on Admission (POA) indicator reporting requirements.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Not applicable to ICD-10-CM codes.
- Specialties:Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Occupational Medicine
- Place of Service:Emergency Room - Hospital, Inpatient Hospital, Office, Outpatient Hospital