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Y79 ICD-10-CM Code: Orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidents

Compare with another code for Y79Check this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 inclusion term · 3 Excludes2

Category · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

Excludes2from Y70-Y82Not included here; may be reported together
  • later complications following use of medical devices without breakdown or malfunctioning of device (Y83-Y84)
  • misadventure to patients during surgical and medical care, classifiable to (Y62-Y69)
  • surgical and other medical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of the patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of the procedure (Y83-Y84)
Includesfrom Y70-Y82What Y70-Y82 covers
  • breakdown or malfunction of medical devices (during use) (after implantation) (ongoing use)

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 20: External Causes of MorbidityY62-Y84 Complications of medical and surgical careY70-Y82 Medical devices associated with adverse incidents in diagnostic and therapeutic use

Codes under Y79 (5)

  • Y79.0Diagnostic and monitoring orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidentsBillable
  • Y79.1Therapeutic (nonsurgical) and rehabilitative orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidentsBillable
  • Y79.2Prosthetic and other implants, materials and accessory orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidentsBillable
  • Y79.3Surgical instruments, materials and orthopedic devices (including sutures) associated with adverse incidentsBillable
  • Y79.8Miscellaneous orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidents, not elsewhere classifiedBillable

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for Y79 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on Y79 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Includes

Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.

  • breakdown or malfunction of medical devices (during use) (after implantation) (ongoing use)

Source: inherited from Y70-Y82

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

  • later complications following use of medical devices without breakdown or malfunctioning of device (Y83-Y84) Compare Y79 vs Y83 →
  • misadventure to patients during surgical and medical care, classifiable to (Y62-Y69) Compare Y79 vs Y62 →
  • surgical and other medical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of the patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of the procedure (Y83-Y84) Compare Y79 vs Y83 →

Source: inherited from Y70-Y82

Coder workflow for Y79

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code Y79

  1. Y79 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewY79.0, Y79.1, Y79.2, Y79.3, Y79.8

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. An external cause code is reported in addition to the code for the injury or condition, never as the principal or first-listed diagnosis. Confirm the cause, intent, place of occurrence, activity and status where the record documents them, and assign the 7th character that matches the injury code. External cause coding guidelines (Guidelines I.C.20.a).

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath Y79?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → Y79 cannot be reported as written. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

    ReviewY79.0, Y79.1, Y79.2, Y79.3, Y79.8

Report the code beneath Y79 that the documentation supports, not Y79 itself. Then confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
The associated condition or complication
Whether the associated condition the title names is documented; the “with” convention presumes some links, and a provider statement that the conditions are unrelated defeats it (Guidelines I.A.15).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes2 — not part of Y79(3 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in Y79. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Don’t confuse Y79 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of Y79 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • Y83— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of later complications following use of medical devices without breakdown or malfunctioning of device adds Y83; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: Y79 vs Y83 →

  • Y84— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of later complications following use of medical devices without breakdown or malfunctioning of device adds Y84; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: Y79 vs Y84 →

  • Y62— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of misadventure to patients during surgical and medical care, classifiable to adds Y62; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: Y79 vs Y62 →

  • Y69— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of misadventure to patients during surgical and medical care, classifiable to adds Y69; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: Y79 vs Y69 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidents is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Y79). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: Y79.0, Y79.1, Y79.2, Y79.3, Y79.8.
  • Principal-diagnosis restriction. External cause of morbidity codes (V, W, X and Y) describe the circumstance that caused an injury, not the condition treated. The Medicare Code Editor rejects them as a principal diagnosis; sequence the injury or condition first and report this code as secondary.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name Y79 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 10 Excludes2 notes: Y62 — Failure of sterile precautions during surgical and medical care, Y62-Y69 — Misadventures to patients during surgical and medical care (Y62-Y69), Y63 — Failure in dosage during surgical and medical care, Y64 — Contaminated medical or biological substances, Y65 — Other misadventures during surgical and medical care, Y66 — Nonadministration of surgical and medical care, Y69 — Unspecified misadventure during surgical and medical care, Y83 — Surgical operation and other surgical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of the patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of the procedure, Y83-Y84 — Surgical and other medical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of the patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of the procedure (Y83-Y84), Y84 — Other medical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of the patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of the procedure.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Referenced by 10 Use Additional Code instructions: T80 — Complications following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection, T80-T88 — Complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified (T80-T88), T81 — Complications of procedures, not elsewhere classified, T82 — Complications of cardiac and vascular prosthetic devices, implants and grafts, T83 — Complications of genitourinary prosthetic devices, implants and grafts, T84 — Complications of internal orthopedic prosthetic devices, implants and grafts, T85 — Complications of other internal prosthetic devices, implants and grafts, T86 — Complications of transplanted organs and tissue, T87 — Complications peculiar to reattachment and amputation, T88 — Other complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified.

These codes instruct coders to additionally report this code when it applies.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of Y79 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run Y79 with these 17 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes2

Referenced by Excludes2 notes (10)

Referenced by Use Additional Code instructions (10)

Nearest codes

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can Y79 be billed directly?

No. Y79 (Orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidents) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder editorial explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "Y79 — Orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidents." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/y79-orthopedic-devices-associated-with-adverse-incidents

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Orthopedic devices associated with adverse incidents

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to Y79 in its code family, with their registry titles.