2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z20.09Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other intestinal infectious diseases
Z20.09 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for contact with and (suspected) exposure to other intestinal infectious diseases. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 795, 951. The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor. Coders also document this condition as cholera suspected. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Exposure, encounters, screening or contact with infectious disease.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z20.09.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Cholera suspected
- Exposure to intestinal infectious disease
- Infectious enteritis suspected
- Paratyphoid fever suspected
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to Z20.09: its own notes plus those printed at Z20 and Chapter 21. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
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.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name Z20.09, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes2 2
These codes carry an Excludes2 note naming Z20.09: its condition is not part of those codes, and both may be reported when the patient has both.
- Z77 Other contact with and (suspected) exposures hazardous to healthcontact with and (suspected) exposure to communicable diseases (Z20.-) names Z20.-, which includes this code
- Z83 Family history of other specific disorderscontact with and (suspected) exposure to communicable disease in the family (Z20.-) names Z20.-, which includes this code
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Contact (with) See Also: Exposure (to);
cholera Z20.09
Exposure (to) See Also: Contact, with; T75.89
cholera Z20.09
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines. The main symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. It is usually not serious in healthy people, but it can sometimes lead to dehydration or cause severe symptoms.
The full article covers:
- What is gastroenteritis?
- What causes gastroenteritis?
- What are the symptoms of gastroenteritis?
- How is gastroenteritis diagnosed?
- What are the treatments for gastroenteritis?
- Can gastroenteritis be prevented?
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert Z20.09 to ICD-9-CMHistory
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About Z20.09Overview
Is Z20.09 a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report contact with and (suspected) exposure to other intestinal infectious diseases on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does Z20.09 group to?
On inpatient claims, contact with and (suspected) exposure to other intestinal infectious diseases maps to MS-DRG 951, 795, with relative weights from 0.2022 to 0.5574 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can Z20.09 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because contact with and (suspected) exposure to other intestinal infectious diseases describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
Can Z20.09 be reported with a code from Z22?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at Z20, which applies to Z20.09, lists "carrier of infectious disease (Z22.-)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of Z20.09?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, contact with and (suspected) exposure to other intestinal infectious diseases converts to ICD-9-CM V01.0 (cholera contact) and V01.89 (communic dis contact NEC). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
