Alphabetic Index FY2027

Z20

Contact with and (suspected) exposure to communicable diseases

FY2027Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services/Z20–Z29 Persons with potential health hazards related to communicable diseases

Non-billable headerNot valid on its own. Use one of the more specific codes under it.

Z20 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code category for contact with and (suspected) exposure to communicable diseases. Report a more specific code from it instead. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. The more specific codes under it are Z20.0 Contact with and (suspected) exposure to intestinal infectious diseases, Z20.1 Contact with and (suspected) exposure to tuberculosis, Z20.2 Contact with and (suspected) exposure to infections with a predominantly sexual mode of transmission, Z20.3 Contact with and (suspected) exposure to rabies and 6 more. Its coding notes include 2 Excludes1 entries and 1 Excludes2 entry.

Guidelines tip

From the FY2027 Official Guidelines. ICD10Ref adds no rules of its own.

Contact and exposure codes can be first-listed to explain an encounter for testing, or more commonly are secondary codes identifying a potential risk.

Guidelines I.C.21.c.1Contact and exposure Z codes (Z20, Z77)Read the official text

Excludes1

Not coded here. The listed conditions generally should not be reported together.

This code
  • carrier of infectious disease (Z22.-)
  • diagnosed current infectious or parasitic disease -see Alphabetic Index

Excludes2

Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.

This code
  • personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases (Z86.1-)

Notes

Also from chapter/block level (3 notes)
Inherited from Chapter 21 Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
  • Z codes represent reasons for encounters. A corresponding procedure code must accompany a Z code if a procedure is performed. Categories Z00-Z99 are provided for occasions when circumstances other than a disease, injury or external cause classifiable to categories A00-Y89 are recorded as 'diagnoses' or 'problems'. This can arise in two main ways:
    • (a) When a person who may or may not be sick encounters the health services for some specific purpose, such as to receive limited care or service for a current condition, to donate an organ or tissue, to receive prophylactic vaccination (immunization), or to discuss a problem which is in itself not a disease or injury.
    • (b) When some circumstance or problem is present which influences the person's health status but is not in itself a current illness or injury.

More specific codes under Z20 10