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Z68 ICD-10-CM Code: Body mass index [BMI]

Compare with another code for Z68Check 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

Official instructions
1 inclusion term

What these terms mean →

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.

IncludesWhat this code covers
  • Kilograms per meters squared

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 21: Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services

Codes under Z68 (5)

  • Z68.1Body mass index [BMI] 19.9 or less, adultNot billable
  • Z68.2Body mass index [BMI] 20-29, adultNot billable
  • Z68.3Body mass index [BMI] 30-39, adultNot billable
  • Z68.4Body mass index [BMI] 40 or greater, adultNot billable
  • Z68.5Body mass index [BMI] pediatricNot billable

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for Z68 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

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • Kilograms per meters squared

Coder workflow for Z68

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

Before you code Z68

  1. Z68 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).

    ReviewZ68.1, Z68.2, Z68.3, Z68.4, Z68.5

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

  2. Confirm the reason for the encounter this Z code records: a status — a condition, carrier state or sequela that may affect care, distinct from a current complication of it. Check whether the code may be reported as first-listed or principal — some Z codes are limited to one position — and do not report a history or status code for a condition documented as current. Z code categories and their reporting positions (Guidelines I.C.21.c.3, I.C.21.c.15).

    Guide: Status codes (Z codes) →

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath Z68?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → Z68 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.

    ReviewZ68.1, Z68.2, Z68.3, Z68.4, Z68.5

Report the code beneath Z68 that the documentation supports, not Z68 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 reason for the encounter
Whether the code records the encounter’s purpose, a status, or a history — and whether it may be first-listed (Guidelines I.C.21.c).

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.

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

Body mass index [BMI] is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Z68). 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

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

Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services (Z00-Z99)

Z33.1 Pregnant state, incidental This code is a secondary code only for use when the pregnancy is in no way complicating the reason for visit. Otherwise, a code from the obstetric chapter is required. Z66 Do not resuscitate This code may be used when it is documented by the provider that a patient is on do not resuscitate status at any time during the stay. Z67 Blood type Z68 Body mass index (BMI) BMI codes should only be assigned when there is an associated, reportable diagnosis (such as obesity or anorexia) documented by the patient’s provider. Do not assign BMI codes during pregnancy. When the documentation reflects fluctuating BMI values during the current encounter for an associated reportable condition, assign a code for the most severe value.

Verify Before Coding

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 Z68 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 5 Use Additional Code instructions across 3 chapters: E66 — Overweight and obesity, E88.82 — Obesity due to disruption of MC4R pathway, R63.6 — Underweight, Z15.2 — Genetic susceptibility to obesity, Z71.3 — Dietary counseling and surveillance.

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

Contextual Map

Every relationship of Z68 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 Z68 with these 5 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Use Additional Code instructions

  • E66 — Overweight and obesity[Use Additional Code]: “code to identify body mass index (BMI), if known, for adults (Z68.1-Z68.45) or pediatrics (Z68.5-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • E88.82 — Obesity due to disruption of MC4R pathway[Use Additional Code]: “code to identify body mass index (BMI), if known (Z68.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • R63.6 — Underweight[Use Additional Code]: “code to identify body mass index (BMI), if known (Z68.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Z15.2 — Genetic susceptibility to obesity[Use Additional Code]: “code to identify body mass index (BMI), if known (Z68.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • Z71.3 — Dietary counseling and surveillance[Use Additional Code]: “code to identify body mass index (BMI), if known (Z68.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027

Nearest codes (38)

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 Z68 be billed directly?

No. Z68 (Body mass index [BMI]) 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
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2027), quoted by section 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. "Z68 — Body mass index [BMI]." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/z68-body-mass-index-bmi

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Body mass index [BMI]

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 Z68 in its code family, with their registry titles.