2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z04.6Encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority
Z04.6 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 951. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Encounter for mental health conditions.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to Z04.6: its own notes plus those printed at Z04, block Z00-Z13, and Chapter 21. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Includes
Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.
- encounter for examination for medicolegal reasons
- This category is to be used when a person without a diagnosis is suspected of having an abnormal condition, without signs or symptoms, which requires study, but after examination and observation, is ruled-out. This category is also for use for administrative and legal observation status.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- 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.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Admission (for) See Also: Encounter (for);
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Convert Z04.6 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About Z04.6Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority?
The ICD-10-CM code for encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority is Z04.6 (sometimes written as Z046). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is Z04.6 (Encounter for examination and observation for other reasons) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does Z04.6 group to?
When encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 951 (other Factors Influencing Health Status), which carries a relative weight of 0.5574. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of Z04.6?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, encounter for general psychiatric examination, requested by authority converts to ICD-9-CM V70.1 (psych exam-authority req). The mapping is a direct match.
