Intentional self-harm by knife, initial encounter

📋Clinical Description

This diagnosis code signifies a deliberate act of self-inflicted injury using a knife or other sharp cutting instrument. It indicates the initial presentation for treatment of such an injury, implying the patient has not been seen previously for this specific self-harm event.

🎯When to Use

Apply this code when documenting a patient presenting to an emergency department, urgent care, or clinic for the first time following a self-harm attempt involving a knife. This would include lacerations, stab wounds, or other cutting injuries intentionally inflicted by the patient upon themselves.

💡Coding Tips

Always assign an external cause code (X-code) in conjunction with an injury code (S-code) to fully describe the event.
Ensure documentation clearly states the intent was self-harm, not accidental or assault.
Verify the encounter is the initial one for this specific injury; subsequent encounters would use a different seventh character.

AI-generated reference — verify against official guidelines

Crosswalks

E95.6ApproxICD-9

Same Category

X78Intentional self-harm by sharp object X78.0Intentional self-harm by sharp glass X78.0XXAIntentional self-harm by sharp glass, initial encounter X78.0XXDIntentional self-harm by sharp glass, subsequent encounter X78.0XXSIntentional self-harm by sharp glass, sequela