Drown in natural water, undetermined intent, subs

This code signifies a patient's follow-up care for injuries or conditions resulting from a drowning or submersion incident that occurred in a natural body of water. The intent of the submersion (e.g., accidental, self-harm, assault) could not be determined at the time of the event. This code is used after the initial encounter for the acute event.

Apply this code for subsequent encounters when a patient is receiving ongoing treatment for complications such as aspiration pneumonia, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or other sequelae directly attributable to a natural water drowning/submersion where the intent remains undetermined. This includes follow-up appointments, rehabilitation services, or further diagnostic work-ups related to the initial event.

• Always use in conjunction with other codes to specify the actual injuries or conditions being treated.
• Ensure documentation clearly indicates "undetermined intent" and that the encounter is not the initial treatment for the acute event.
• Verify the location of the incident was a natural body of water (e.g., ocean, lake, river) as opposed to a man-made structure.