Note from the Associate Editor: Let it snow, let it snow!

By Carolyn Riel

Thanksgiving was last week, and the ACDIS team took a nice little break. We hope you all did, too. The holidays are always a time full of friends, family, food, and of course an accident or two with some helpful ICD-10 Thanksgiving-related codes.

Once all the turkeys were carved, bellies full, leftovers eaten, and Black Friday deals shopped, here in Massachusetts, we greeted December with a dumping of snow.

Sunday evening through late afternoon Tuesday, we have been gifted (though some winter-haters might argue the word “plagued” is more appropriate) with roughly a foot of snow.

This storm was odd because of the vast differences in accumulation depending on location. Downtown Boston received about 4.5 inches, while areas just 50 miles north-west received almost 2 feet. So, most of us worked remotely Monday and Tuesday. Thank the snow angles for modern technology.

But winter snows and cold weather may lead to some unexpected doctor’s visits for targeted injuries. Don’t worry, there’s an ICD-10 code for almost every occasion. Here are a few to keep in mind as the weather gets worse.

Y93.H1XA Shoveling snow –Whether you get 5 inches or 5 feet, always be cautious when shoveling.

M54.5 Low back pain – While shoveling, remember to lift with your legs and not with your back in order to avoid this code.

W11.xxxA Fall on and from ladder, initial encounter – I know everyone wants to clean snow off the roof and clear icicles from the gutters, but make sure that ladder isn’t sitting on slip of ice please or it could lead to an additional code of W00 Fall due to ice and snow.

W27 Contact with nonpowered hand tool – One of the best things about winter is having a nice, glowing fire to keep you warm. Use caution when chopping wood, or this code might be needed.

X16.xxxA Burned by electric blanket – I know, keeping warm quickly becomes a struggle in the winter. Just make sure your electric blanket doesn’t have broken wires.

Winter activities are all fun and games (pun intended) until something goes downhill (again, skiing pun intended).

Y93.23 Activity, snow (alpine) (downhill) skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tobogganing, and snow tubing – While nonspecific, you can bet you’ll be seeing a lot of this code this winter.

V00.212A Ice-skater colliding with stationary object, initial encounter – We can’t all be Nancy Kerrigans. When everyone wants to go ice skating, make sure you know how to stop.

V98.3 Accident involving a ski lift – Everyone is clumsy from time to time, so keep an eye out for when the bench is coming up behind you.

V80.929A Occupant of animal-drawn vehicle injured in unspecified transport accident, initial encounter – Romantic horse-drawn sleigh ride through the park, perhaps?

And once we get closer to the holidays, keep an EYE OUT for W34.110 Accidental malfunction of BB gun for those kids who were gifted an Official Red Ryder Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle.

Editor’s note: Riel is the associate editor for ACDIS. Contact her at criel@acdis.org.