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Z18.01 vs Z18.1

Z18.01 (Retained depleted uranium fragments) compared with Z18.1 (Retained metal fragments), 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. Z18.1 carries an Excludes1 note covering Z18.01: “retained radioactive metal fragments (Z18.01-Z18.09)”

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

Z18.01Retained depleted uranium fragmentsZ18.1Retained metal fragments
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

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

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 depleted uranium fragments is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (Z18.01).Retained metal fragments is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Z18.1).
Includes
embedded fragment (status)
embedded splinter (status)
retained foreign body status
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