Z20.9Contact with and (suspected) exposure to unspecified communicable disease

Z20.9 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for contact with and (suspected) exposure to unspecified communicable disease. It belongs to category Z20 (contact with and (suspected) exposure to communicable diseases), block Z20-Z29 (persons with potential health hazards related to communicable diseases) and chapter 21 (factors influencing health status and contact with health services). It is billable, so it can be reported on its own for dates of service from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Within Z20, choose Z20.9 (unspecified communicable disease) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: intestinal infectious diseases (Z20.0), tuberculosis (Z20.1), infections with a predominantly sexual mode of transmission (Z20.2), rabies (Z20.3), rubella (Z20.4), viral hepatitis (Z20.5), human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] (Z20.6), pediculosis, acariasis and other infestations (Z20.7) and 1 more.

It is not a CC or MCC, so as a secondary diagnosis it doesn't change the MS-DRG severity level.

In MS-DRG v44.0, it is part of the grouping logic for DRG 795 (Normal Newborn, relative weight 0.2022) and DRG 951 (Other Factors Influencing Health Status, relative weight 0.5577), in MDC 15 (Newborns and Other Neonates with Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period) and MDC 23 (Factors Influencing Health Status and Other Contacts with Health Services), as a principal or secondary diagnosis. The DRG a claim lands in depends on the principal diagnosis, procedures and any CC/MCC secondary diagnoses.

It is not acceptable as the principal diagnosis for an inpatient stay; it may be reported as a secondary diagnosis.

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

Before ICD-10, this condition was coded in ICD-9-CM as V01.9 (contact with or exposure to unspecified communicable disease).