2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z48.02Encounter for removal of sutures

ICD-10-CM Codes›Z00–Z99›Z40-Z53›Z48

ICD-10-CM Z48.02
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

Z48.02 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for encounter for removal of sutures. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 951. The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor and exempt from POA reporting. Coders also document this condition as removal of sutures done. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Other aftercare encounter.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
Z48.02
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Encounter for removal of sutures
Short Description
Encounter for removal of sutures
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
Z48.0
Encounter for attention to dressings, sutures and drains

Code Classification

ChapterZ00–Z99Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
SectionZ40-Z53Encounters for other specific health care
CategoryZ48Encounter for other postprocedural aftercare
This CodeZ48.02Encounter for removal of sutures

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z48.02.

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

Z48.02 is exempt from POA reporting on inpatient claims to general acute care hospitals. Review the other POA exempt codes in Encounters for other specific health care (Z40-Z53).

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Removal of sutures done

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to Z48.02: its own notes plus those printed at Z48.0, Z48, block Z40-Z53, and Chapter 21. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

Applicable To

Conditions this code is used for: synonyms of the title or, for "other specified" codes, the conditions assigned to it. The list is not exhaustive.

  • Encounter for removal of staples

Excludes1

Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.

From Z48.0 Encounter for attention to dressings, sutures and drains applies to 4 codes
  • encounter for planned postprocedural wound closure (Z48.1)
From Z48 Encounter for other postprocedural aftercare applies to 23 codes
  • 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

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.

From Z48 Encounter for other postprocedural aftercare applies to 23 codes
  • encounter for attention to artificial openings (Z43.-)
  • encounter for fitting and adjustment of prosthetic and other devices (Z44-Z46)
From Block Z40-Z53 Encounters for other specific health care applies to 164 codes
  • follow-up examination for medical surveillance after treatment (Z08-Z09)

Notes

General instructions on how these codes are used.

From Chapter 21 (Z00-Z99) Factors influencing health status and contact with health services applies to 1,425 codes
  • 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 Z48.02, its category, or a range that includes it.

Excludes1 1

These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming Z48.02: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.

  • Z48.1 Encounter for planned postprocedural wound closure
    encounter for attention to dressings and sutures (Z48.0-) names Z48.0-, which includes this code

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

Clinical ClassificationClinical

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

CCSR FAC010
Other aftercare encounter
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient Yes

Patient EducationClinical

Wounds and Injuries

An injury is damage to your body. It is a general term that refers to harm caused by accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. In the U.S., millions of people injure themselves every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert Z48.02 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
V58.32 Attn removal of sutures
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 2017–2026No changes
FY 2027CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Questions About Z48.02Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for encounter for removal of sutures?

The ICD-10-CM code for encounter for removal of sutures is Z48.02 (sometimes written as Z4802). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Is Z48.02 (Encounter for attention to dressings, sutures and drains) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report encounter for removal of sutures on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

What MS-DRG does Z48.02 group to?

On inpatient claims, encounter for removal of sutures maps to MS-DRG 951 (other Factors Influencing Health Status), which carries a relative weight of 0.5574. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Can Z48.02 be a principal diagnosis?

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

Is Z48.02 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 removal of sutures on inpatient claims. The code appears in the Encounters for other specific health care (Z40-Z53) range of the CMS exempt list.