2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z12.11

Encounter for screening for malignant neoplasm of colon

ICD-10-CM Code:
Z12.11
ICD-10 Code for:
Encounter for screening for malignant neoplasm of colon
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Z12.11 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of encounter for screening for malignant neoplasm of colon. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2024 through September 30, 2025. The code is exempt from present on admission (POA) reporting for inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals.

This code describes a circumstance which influences the patient's health status but not a current illness or injury. The code is unacceptable as a principal diagnosis.

The code is linked to some Quality Measures as part of Medicare's Quality Payment Program (QPP). When this code is used as part of a patient's medical record the following Quality Measures might apply: Appropriate Follow-up Interval For Normal Colonoscopy In Average Risk Patients.

Code Classification

  • Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
    Z00–Z99
    • Persons encountering health services for examinations
      Z00-Z13
      • Encounter for screening for malignant neoplasms
        Z12

Approximate Synonyms

The following list of clinical terms are approximate synonyms, alternative descriptions, or common phrases that might be used by patients, healthcare providers, or medical coders to describe the same condition. These synonyms and related diagnosis terms are often used when searching for an ICD-10 code, especially when the exact medical terminology is unclear. Whether you're looking for lay terms, similar diagnosis names, or common language alternatives, this list can help guide you to the correct ICD-10 classification.

  • Screening for malignant neoplasm done
  • Screening for malignant neoplasm of colon done
  • Screening for neoplasm done

Clinical Classification

Clinical Classifications group individual ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes into broader, clinically meaningful categories. These categories help simplify complex data by organizing related conditions under common clinical themes.

They are especially useful for data analysis, reporting, and clinical decision-making. Even when diagnosis codes differ, similar conditions can be grouped together based on their clinical relevance. Each category is assigned a unique CCSR code that represents a specific clinical concept, often tied to a body system or medical specialty.

Neoplasm-related encounters

CCSR Code: FAC008

Inpatient Default: X - Not applicable.

Outpatient Default: Y - Yes, default outpatient assignment for principal diagnosis or first-listed diagnosis.

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Inclusion Terms

Inclusion Terms
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • Encounter for screening colonoscopy NOS

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Code Edits

The Medicare Code Editor (MCE) detects errors and inconsistencies in ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding that can affect Medicare claim validity. These Medicare code edits help medical coders and billing professionals determine when a diagnosis code is not appropriate as a principal diagnosis, does not meet coverage criteria. Use this list to verify whether a code is valid for Medicare billing and to avoid claim rejections or denials due to diagnosis coding issues.

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)

Z12.11 is exempt from POA reporting - The Present on Admission (POA) indicator is used for diagnosis codes included in claims involving inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals. POA indicators must be reported to CMS on each claim to facilitate the grouping of diagnoses codes into the proper Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG). CMS publishes a listing of specific diagnosis codes that are exempt from the POA reporting requirement. Review other POA exempt codes here.

CMS POA Indicator Options and Definitions

POA Indicator: Y

Reason: Diagnosis was present at time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? YES

POA Indicator: N

Reason: Diagnosis was not present at time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

POA Indicator: U

Reason: Documentation insufficient to determine if the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

POA Indicator: W

Reason: Clinically undetermined - unable to clinically determine whether the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? YES

POA Indicator: 1

Reason: Unreported/Not used - Exempt from POA reporting.

CMS Pays CC/MCC DRG? NO

Convert Z12.11 to ICD-9-CM

Below are the ICD-9 codes that most closely match this ICD-10 code, based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMs). This ICD-10 to ICD-9 crosswalk tool is helpful for coders who need to reference legacy diagnosis codes for audits, historical claims, or approximate code comparisons.

Screen malig neop-colon

ICD-9-CM: V76.51

This is a direct match with no additional mapping qualifiers. The absence of a flag generally means the mapping is considered exact or precise. In other words, the ICD-10 code maps cleanly to the ICD-9 code without qualification, approximation, or needing multiple codes.

Quality Payment Program Measures

When code Z12.11 is part of the patient's diagnoses the following Quality Measures apply and affect reimbursement. The objective of Medicare's Quality Measures is to improve patient care by making it more: effective, safe, efficient, patient-centered and equitable.

Appropriate Follow-Up Interval for Normal Colonoscopy in Average Risk Patients

High Priority: YES

Measure Type: Process

Submission Methods: Claims, Registry

Description: Percentage of patients aged 45 to 75 years of age receiving a screening colonoscopy without biopsy or polypectomy who had a recommended follow-up interval of at least 10 years for repeat colonoscopy documented in their colonoscopy report.

Patient Education


Health Screening

Screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms. Screening tests can find diseases early, when they're easier to treat. You can get some screenings in your doctor's office. Others need special equipment, so you may need to go to a different office or clinic.

Some conditions that doctors commonly screen for include:

  • Breast cancer and cervical cancer in women
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Osteoporosis
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Prostate cancer in men

Which tests you need depends on your age, your sex, your family history, and whether you have risk factors for certain diseases. After a screening test, ask when you will get the results and whom to talk to about them.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Colorectal Cancer Screening (PDQ®)

Learn about colorectal cancer screening tests used to find changes in the colon or rectum before cancer develops.
[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Screening Tests to Detect Colorectal Cancer and Polyps

Learn about the methods used to screen for colorectal cancer. This fact sheet also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of several colorectal cancer screening tests.
[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Tests to Detect Colorectal Cancer and Polyps

Learn about the methods used to screen for colorectal cancer. This fact sheet also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of several colorectal cancer screening tests.
[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.