2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z69.81Encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse

ICD-10-CM Codes›Z00–Z99›Z69-Z76›Z69

ICD-10-CM Z69.81
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

Z69.81 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse. 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 abuse counseling of domestic violence victim. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Encounter for mental health services related to abuse.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
Z69.81
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse
Short Description
Encounter for mental health services for victim of oth abuse
Parent Code
Z69.8
Encounter for mental health services for victim or perpetrator of other abuse

Code Classification

ChapterZ00–Z99Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
SectionZ69-Z76Persons encountering health services in other circumstances
CategoryZ69Encounter for mental health services for victim and perpetrator of abuse
This CodeZ69.81Encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z69.81.

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

Z69.81 is exempt from POA reporting on inpatient claims to general acute care hospitals. Review the other POA exempt codes in Persons encountering health services in other circumstances (Z69-Z76).

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Abuse counseling of domestic violence victim

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to Z69.81: its own notes plus those printed at Z69 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.

From Z69 Encounter for mental health services for victim and perpetrator of abuse applies to 8 codes
  • counseling for victims and perpetrators of abuse

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 mental health services for victim of non-spousal adult abuse
  • Encounter for mental health services for victim of spouse or partner violence, sexual
  • Encounter for rape victim counseling

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.

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 FAC002
Encounter for mental health services related to abuse
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient Yes

Convert Z69.81 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
V65.49 Other specfd counseling
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.

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 Z69.81Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse?

The ICD-10-CM code for encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse is Z69.81 (sometimes written as Z6981). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Is Z69.81 a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

What MS-DRG does Z69.81 group to?

On inpatient claims, encounter for mental health services for victim of other abuse 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 Z69.81 be a principal diagnosis?

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

Is Z69.81 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 mental health services for victim of other abuse on inpatient claims. The code appears in the Persons encountering health services in other circumstances (Z69-Z76) range of the CMS exempt list.