Z20.821 — Contact with and (suspected) exposure to Zika virus
Is Z20.821 billable?
Yes — Z20.821 is billable for FY2027. Z20.821 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. Z20.821 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Z20.821 at a glance
| Code | Z20.821 |
|---|---|
| Description | Contact with and (suspected) exposure to Zika virus |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
What Medicare edits apply to Z20.821?
The Medicare Code Editor screens inpatient claims before they are grouped. These edits name Z20.821 directly.
CMS will reject this code as the principal diagnosis on an inpatient claim. It describes something other than the condition chiefly responsible for the admission.
Which MS-DRGs does Z20.821 group to?
Z20.821 sits in MDC 15 and helps define the logic of 1 MS-DRG (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 795Normal Newbornmedical
How is Z20.821 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to Z20.821. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Contact › Zika virus (with)
- Exposure › Zika virus (to)
- Contact › communicable disease › Zika virus (with)
- Exposure › communicable disease › Zika virus (to)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from Z20
The conditions below can never be reported together with Z20.821 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- carrier of infectious disease (Z22.-)
- diagnosed current infectious or parasitic disease -see Alphabetic Index
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Z20
The conditions below are not part of Z20.821, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, Z20.821 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases (Z86.1-)
How long has Z20.821 existed?
Z20.821 first appears in FY2019.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.