Z18

Non-billable

Retained foreign body fragments

Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services

Coding Guidance

Z18 should not be used for reimbursement purposes as there are more specific codes below it that contain a greater level of detail. See Related Codes to drill down to more specific billable codes for appropriate reimbursement.

Additional Information

From parent codes: Z00-Z99 (Chapter 21)

NotesFrom Z00-Z99

Additional notes from parent codes that apply to this code.

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.