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Y90 ICD-10-CM Code: Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by blood alcohol level

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 code-first instruction

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for Y90 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Code First

Underlying conditions that must be sequenced before this code.

  • any associated alcohol related disorders (F10)

Coder workflow for Y90

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

Before you code Y90

  1. Y90 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).

    ReviewY90.0, Y90.1, Y90.2, Y90.3, Y90.4, Y90.5, Y90.6, Y90.7, Y90.8, Y90.9

    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 Y90?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → Y90 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewY90.0, Y90.1, Y90.2, Y90.3, Y90.4, Y90.5, Y90.6, Y90.7, Y90.8, Y90.9

  2. Is the underlying (etiologic) condition the Code First note names documented?
    Yes → Sequence the underlying condition first, then Y90.
    No → Continue; do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

    ReviewF10

Consider Y90. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

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 underlying (etiologic) condition
Named in the Code First note; sequenced before this code when documented (Guidelines I.A.13).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Code First — sequencing check(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the underlying or etiologic condition the note names is documented. When it is, sequence it before Y90. Do not add an underlying condition the record does not document.

    ReviewF10

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: The underlying condition the Code First note names is documented alongside this condition.

Coding question: How are the two sequenced?

Path: Review the Code First note.

Reason: The underlying condition is sequenced first and the manifestation follows (Guidelines I.A.13).

ReviewF10

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.

Code Overview

Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by blood alcohol level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Y90). 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.

Official Coding Guidelines

Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines

Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines

Verbatim excerpts from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (CMS/NCHS) that govern this code.

Chapter 5: Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01 – F99)

5) Blood Alcohol Level A code from category Y90, Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by blood alcohol level, may be assigned when this information is documented and the patient’s provider has documented a condition classifiable to category F10, Alcohol related disorders. The blood alcohol level does not need to be documented by the patient’s provider in order for it to be coded.

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: Y90.0, Y90.1, Y90.2, Y90.3, Y90.4.
  • 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 structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name Y90 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 2 Use Additional Code instructions across 2 chapters: F10 — Alcohol related disorders, R78.0 — Finding of alcohol in blood.

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

Contextual Map

Every relationship of Y90 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 Y90 with these 2 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Code First

Referenced by Use Additional Code instructions

  • F10 — Alcohol related disorders[Use Additional Code]: “code for blood alcohol level, if applicable (Y90.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • R78.0 — Finding of alcohol in blood[Use Additional Code]: “external cause code (Y90.-), for detail regarding alcohol level.”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026

Nearest codes (10)

Change history

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

Common coding questions

Can Y90 be billed directly?

No. Y90 (Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by blood alcohol level) 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 FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2026), quoted by section Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 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 structured 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 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.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by blood alcohol level

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), 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 Y90 in its code family, with their registry titles.