2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z02.79Encounter for issue of other medical certificate

ICD-10-CM Codes›Z00–Z99›Z00-Z13›Z02

ICD-10-CM Z02.79
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

Z02.79 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for encounter for issue of other medical certificate. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor and exempt from POA reporting. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Encounter for administrative purposes.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
Z02.79
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Encounter for issue of other medical certificate
Short Description
Encounter for issue of other medical certificate
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
Z02.7
Encounter for issue of medical certificate

Code Classification

ChapterZ00–Z99Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
SectionZ00-Z13Persons encountering health services for examinations
CategoryZ02Encounter for administrative examination
This CodeZ02.79Encounter for issue of other medical certificate

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z02.79.

Unacceptable principal diagnosis
There are selected codes that describe a circumstance which influences an individual's health status but not a current illness or injury, or codes that are not specific manifestations but may be due to an underlying cause. These codes are considered unacceptable as a principal diagnosis.

Present on Admission (POA)Billing

Z02.79 is exempt from POA reporting on inpatient claims to general acute care hospitals. Review other POA exempt codes.

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Encounter(with health service) (for)
      • administrative purpose only
        • examination for
          • medical certificate NEC
    • Issue of
      • medical certificate

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR FAC001
Encounter for administrative purposes
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient Yes

Convert Z02.79 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
V68.09 Issue of med certif NEC
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About Z02.79Overview

Is Z02.79 (Encounter for issue of medical certificate) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report encounter for issue of other medical certificate on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Can Z02.79 be a principal diagnosis?

No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because encounter for issue of other medical certificate describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.

Is Z02.79 exempt from POA reporting?

Yes. CMS lists this code among those exempt from present on admission reporting, so hospitals do not assign a POA indicator for encounter for issue of other medical certificate on inpatient claims.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of Z02.79?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, encounter for issue of other medical certificate converts to ICD-9-CM V68.09 (issue of med certif NEC). The mapping is a direct match.