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ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Question:

You don't have to be from Fargo to know about wood chipper safety

Published on Fri May 18, 2012

Question: Patient presents to ER with finger laceration after cleaning a wood chipper that was still running. Would E919.8 be an appropriate E-code for this accident? South Dakota Subscriber Answer: Several diagnoses came to mind for someone who would put their hand in a running wood chipper. They are lucky to come away with only a finger laceration. The code you mentioned, E919.4 (Accidents caused by machinery; woodworking and forming machine), is a possibility but I don't really think of a wood chipper as a woodworking or forming machine. Absent a more specific E code, I would use E919.8 (Accidents caused by machinery; other specified machinery). Somewhat surprisingly, given the specificity of ICD-10, there is no specific mention of wood chipper in the new code set. However, there is an ICD-10 crosswalk to W31.89XA (Contact with other specified machinery, initial encounter).
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