Unspecified balloon accident injuring occupant, subs encntr

This code indicates that a patient is presenting for follow-up care or treatment of injuries sustained in an unspecified accident involving a balloon (e.g., hot air balloon, gas balloon), where the patient was an occupant. The specific nature of the balloon accident is not documented.

This code is appropriate for subsequent encounters when a patient returns for ongoing management of injuries from a balloon accident, such as wound care, physical therapy, or follow-up appointments after initial treatment. It is used when the initial encounter code (V96.00XA) has already been reported and the patient is still receiving active treatment for the injury.

• Always assign an external cause code for the initial encounter (V96.00XA) first, followed by the specific injury codes.
• Ensure documentation clearly states the patient is an occupant of the balloon and that the encounter is for follow-up care.
• If the specific type of balloon or the nature of the accident is known, a more specific V96 code should be used instead.