A Medical Billing Code Guide To Holiday Injuries

If tidings of comfort and joy don’t fill your holiday season, take heart in knowing that the new national medical billing system has a code to account for whatever comes your way.

This fall, the US health care system adopted what is known as ICD-10: A massive index for doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies to use when cataloging injuries, diseases, and treatments.

There are more than 65,000 notoriously specific codes for every possible ailment, from “asphyxiation due to being trapped in a discarded refrigerator, accidental” (T71.231D) to “burn due to water skis on fire” (V91.07).

Here at STAT, we rounded up the codes that might come in handy this time of year.

For the tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, try Z01.00: “Encounter for examination of eyes and vision with abnormal findings.”

If you unintentionally recreate that scene from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:” “Bitten by squirrel, initial encounter” (W53.21XA).

And for whatever this might be referring to: “Holiday relief” (Z75.5).

Check out the injury guide above, too. And happy holidays.