Z55

Problems related to education and literacy

FY2027Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services/Z55–Z65 Persons with potential health hazards related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances

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

Excludes1

Z55 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code category for problems related to education and literacy. 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 Z55.0 Illiteracy and low-level literacy, Z55.1 Schooling unavailable and unattainable, Z55.2 Failed school examinations, Z55.3 Underachievement in school and 5 more. Its coding notes include 1 Excludes1 entry.

Excludes1

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

This code

disorders of psychological development (F80-F89)

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 Z55 9