Trauma ICD-10-CM Codes
Read this short guide to learn about Trauma ICD codes you can use!
Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.
What Trauma ICD Codes Can I Use?
If you’re looking for Trauma ICD codes, there’s an abundance of them. There are too many to fit in this guide, so we picked the most basic examples of Trauma-related ICD-10 codes for you:
- T14.90XA - Injury, unspecified, initial encounter
When we speak of trauma in the physical sense, we’re referring to serious physical injuries, which could be anything! So, to kickstart this list, we’re going with the most basic trauma/injury ICD code.
This is meant for any patient confirmed to have an injury. In the case of this ICD-10 code, the injury’s nature and location are unspecified. Given this, once you have confirmed the specific injury, you’ll have to use a more specific ICD-10 code.
This also has the initial encounter label on it, which means that the patient is currently receiving active treatment for the problem, in this case, an injury.
- T14.90XD - Injury, unspecified, subsequent encounter
This is the same as Item 1, but this time, it has the subsequent encounter label, which means that the patient is already in the recovery phase and is still being given active/routine care for the injury.
- T14.90XS - Injury, unspecified, sequela
This is the same as Item 1, but it now has the sequela label. This label means that the patient is dealing with the aftereffects of the trauma. Given this, this ICD-10 code should be accompanied by two other ICD-10 codes, one of which should designate the sequela’s nature, while the other should describe the sequela (meaning its effects).
If you use more specific codes, they will likely have initial encounters, subsequent encounters, and sequela labels.
- G89.11 - Acute pain due to trauma
This ICD-10 code is meant to be used if the patient feels acute pain, meaning a pain that sprang forth as soon as they sustained physical trauma.
- G89.21 - Chronic pain due to trauma
This ICD-10 code is meant to be used if the patient feels chronic pain due to physical trauma. This means that the doesn’t go away and reoccurs for an extended period, if not forever.
- S07.1XXA - Crushing injury of skull, initial encounter
This ICD-10 code is meant to be used on a patient with a crushing skull injury. Crushing injuries are a result of physical trauma characterized by compression. In this case, the physical trauma is the prolonged compression of the skull, and this compression resulted in an injury. Since this has an initial encounter label, you can expect it to have versions with the subsequent encounter and sequela labels.
Are These Trauma ICD Codes Billable?
Yes. All of the aforementioned Trauma-related ICD-10 codes are valid and billable.
Clinical Information About Trauma
Based on the list above, the kind of trauma we’re focusing on for this guide is physical, not mental (though physical trauma can also cause mental trauma).
Physical trauma can be classified into two types:
- Blunt force trauma: This type is characterized by getting hurt due to contact with a non-sharp object or force. This type of trauma can cause crushing injuries (hence the example in the list earlier), concussions, or broken bones. These can also cause cuts if the force is strong enough to open a wound.
- Penetrating trauma: This type is characterized by getting hurt due to contact with an object that pierces through the skin. Even non-sharp objects can penetrate through the skin. Whatever pierced through the skin will either pass through the hole it created and leave through the other side or remain in the wound.
Synonyms Include
- Airway trauma
- Antepartum hemorrhage with trauma
- Aortic valve regurgitation due to trauma
- Cardiac arrest due to trauma
- Acute pain due to injury
- Chronic pain due to injury
- Chronic pain following trauma
- Pain provoked by trauma
Commonly asked questions
Physical trauma can cause other complications, such as bleeding, infections, sepsis, and organ failure.
It depends on what the injury is. The most fundamental part of the treatment is disinfecting the wound and stopping bleeding. Professionals must assess the damages before deciding how to treat the patient. Some professionals must undergo surgery to repair broken bones and organ damage.
Healthcare professionals will likely recommend physical therapy so patients can recover better from their injuries and restore damaged body parts to the extent that they can function normally. Some damage caused by physical trauma is permanent, so they might be asked to take therapy to help cope with a new reality where they won’t be able to do the things they used to love doing without assistance. Again, physical trauma can lead to mental trauma.
