ICD-10 Code V97.33XD Sucked Into Jet Engine (Subsequent Encounter) describes the circumstance causing an injury, not the nature of the injury. V97.33XD is a billable ICD-10-CM code that is used to indicate diagnosis for medical insurance reimbursement purposes.

ICD-10-CM codes are effective from October 01, 2015 and all medical insurance reimbursement claims with date of service from first october are require to use ICD-10 coding instead ICD-9 coding system.

This article is cover the V97.33XD ICD-10-CM code version used in United States. V97.33XD Reimbursement and usage rules in other international ICD-10 versions may differ.

Most of the publications, including New York Times, Boston Globe, Healthcare Dive and Alabama Physicians Group making fun ICD-10 V97.33XD Code, because they do not understand what the purpose of this ICD-10 code. The subsequent encounter does not means the patient was sucked into a jet engine again. Basically, it is representing that the patient is being seen by the provider (doctor) for a subsequent encounter for injuries, suffered from sucked into the jet engine.

By the way, there are possibilities and incidents on medical record, where a person was sucked into a jet engine and serviced that accident. That's why there is an ICD-10 Code for this now. Lets have a look at the code itself, V97.33XD Sucked Into Jet Engine (Subsequent Encounter):

ICD-10 V97.33XD Code: Sucked Into Jet Engine (Subsequent Encounter)

ICD-10 V97.33XD Code: Sucked Into Jet Engine (Subsequent Encounter)

The 7th character used in the V97.33XD ICD-10 code is one of the main new concepts in ICD-10 Clinical Modifications (ICD-10cm). Probably we require a more clear explanation on what it means.

IN ICD-10cm 7th character indicates the episode of care, most of the time. If the patient is being actively treated, Medical Coder should use A as 7th character mostly. On the other hand for routine follow up, D should be used as 7th character becomes for Medical Coding of the encounter.

In case, as a direct result of a condition, patient develops a another condition or complication, it will be reported as sequeal with S as 7th characters.

For nonunions, malunions, delayed healing and open fractures codes; some additional 7th characters should be used for Medical Billing of the claims. Most injury codes only give three choices: A, D, and S for Medical Coding.

How to use ICD-10 Code 7th Character Correctly

Does your Provider know about the how to correctly use ICD-10 Code seventh character? If not, please find below the best example that can be use to explain it. V97.33XD doesn't mean sucked into a jet engine twice. It means the patient is actually recovering from injuries sustained by his or her sole encounter with a jet engine.

The second reason this example drives me up a wall is because V97.33XD is an external cause code. It will never, ever, ever be the principal diagnosis. And you will almost never hold a claim for an external cause code. The only time you would is if a specific payer requires them. The ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting even state that there is no national requirement for reporting external cause codes. If you don’t report them now, you won’t report them in ICD-10-CM.

So why are we spending time talking about whether the patient was bitten by a chicken or a duck? It’s not going to change your payment. It’s probably not going to affect patient care. Although, if you are bitten by a wild animal, the physician may be more likely to worry that you’ll contract rabies.

Unfortunately too many physicians (and Congress members) rely on the mainstream uninformed media for information about ICD-10. We need to focus the discussion on what actually matters, not on what makes the best punchline.

For example, ICD-9-CM has no code for Ebola. You may have heard of Ebola and, depending on where you are in the U.S., you may indeed be coding for Ebola. Outside of the running tally in the mainstream media, how can you tell how many people in the U.S. have Ebola? Right now, you can’t. In ICD-10-CM you will be able to track that number.

If the patient get his/her leg(s) broken, specify that both or which leg was affected. ICD-9-CM coding had not any provision for this. But using ICD-10-CM, does not only specify which leg of the patient was is broken, but it it also precisely document the follow up and patient progress with the 7th character. Medical records documented using ICD-10, will be able to show how many times the patient visited back for active treatment, how often he came back for routine follow up, and whether he had developed any complications or side effects or not.

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