Skip to main content
Compare/Z18 vs Z95

Z18 vs Z95

Z18 (Retained foreign body fragments) compared with Z95 (Presence of cardiac and vascular implants and grafts), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. Z18 carries an Excludes1 note covering Z95: “in situ cardiac device (Z95.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

Z18Retained foreign body fragmentsZ95Presence of cardiac and vascular implants and grafts
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: Z18.01, Z18.09, Z18.10, Z18.11, Z18.12

Non-billable header

Report instead: Z95.0, Z95.1, Z95.2, Z95.3, Z95.4

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)
DefinitionRetained foreign body fragments is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Z18).Presence of cardiac and vascular implants and grafts is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Z95).
Includes
embedded fragment (status)
embedded splinter (status)
retained foreign body status

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