ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

W16.221Fall in (into) bucket of water causing drowning and submersion

Not billable — use a more specific codeRequires 7th character

W16.221 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 3 more specific codes beneath it and add the required 7th character.Short description: Fall in (into) bucket of water causing drown

Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About W16.221

W16.221 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for fall in (into) bucket of water causing drowning and submersion. It belongs to category W16 (fall, jump or diving into water), block W00-W19 (slipping, tripping, stumbling and falls) and chapter 20 (external causes of morbidity). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 3 subcodes must be used instead.

Within W16.22 (fall in (into) bucket of water), W16.221 is specifically for fall in (into) bucket of water causing drowning and submersion. Related codes cover causing other injury (W16.222).

Codes in this range require a 7th character: A for initial encounter, D for subsequent encounter and S for sequela. Use placeholder "X" characters to fill any empty positions before the 7th character.

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

7th character

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W16

Ainitial encounterW16.221A
Dsubsequent encounterW16.221D
SsequelaW16.221S

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to W16.221.

› From W16 Fall, jump or diving into water

Excludes1

accidental non-watercraft drowning and submersion not involving fall (W65-W74)
effects of air pressure from diving (W94.-)
fall into water from watercraft (V90-V94)
hitting an object or against bottom when falling from watercraft (V94.0)

Excludes2

striking or hitting diving board (W21.4)

Broader instructions also apply from W00-W19 Slipping, tripping, stumbling and falls and Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity.

Alphabetic index entries

3 entries

Terms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to W16.221.

Code history

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027

FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
No changes since FY2016.

Common questions about W16.221

Is W16.221 billable?: No. W16.221 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.