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Compare/Z09 vs Z42

Z09 vs Z42

Z09 (Encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for conditions other than malignant neoplasm) compared with Z42 (Encounter for plastic and reconstructive surgery following medical procedure or healed injury), from the official CMS tabular data. Both may be reported when both conditions are documented (Excludes2).

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented. Z42 carries an Excludes2 note covering Z09: “follow-up examination for medical surveillance after treatment (Z08-Z09)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

Side by side

Z09Encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for conditions other than malignant neoplasmZ42Encounter for plastic and reconstructive surgery following medical procedure or healed injury
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: Z42.1, Z42.8

ClassificationZ00-Z99 — Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services (Z00-Z99)Z00-Z99 — Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services (Z00-Z99)
DefinitionEncounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for conditions other than malignant neoplasm is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Z09).Encounter for plastic and reconstructive surgery following medical procedure or healed injury is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Z42).
Includes
Medical surveillance following completed treatment
Use additional code
code to identify any applicable history of disease code (Z86.-, Z87.-)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources