Z48.00 — Encounter for change or removal of nonsurgical wound dressing
Is Z48.00 billable?
Yes — Z48.00 is billable for FY2027. Z48.00 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. Z48.00 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Z48.00 at a glance
| Code | Z48.00 |
|---|---|
| Description | Encounter for change or removal of nonsurgical wound dressing |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
What Medicare edits apply to Z48.00?
The Medicare Code Editor screens inpatient claims before they are grouped. These edits name Z48.00 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 Z48.00 group to?
Z48.00 sits in MDC 23 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.
- 951Other Factors Influencing Health Statusmedical
How is Z48.00 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to Z48.00. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Change › dressing (s) (in) (of)
- Removal › dressing (from) (of)
- Admission › change of › dressing (for)
- Admission › removal of › dressing (for)
- Aftercare › following surgery › attention to › dressings
- Aftercare › involving › removal of › dressings
Inclusion terms
Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to Z48.00.
- Encounter for change or removal of wound dressing NOS
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from Z48
The conditions below can never be reported together with Z48.00 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment (Z08-Z09)
- encounter for aftercare following injury - code to Injury, by site, with appropriate 7th character for subsequent encounter
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from Z48.0
The conditions below can never be reported together with Z48.00 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- encounter for planned postprocedural wound closure (Z48.1)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Z40-Z53
The conditions below are not part of Z48.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, Z48.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- follow-up examination for medical surveillance after treatment (Z08-Z09)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Z48
The conditions below are not part of Z48.00, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, Z48.00 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has Z48.00 existed?
Z48.00 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.