Come April 1, coders will have new codes to capture COVID-19 vaccination status.
 
The CDC has released an updated code set effective April 1, 2022, which includes four new additions under Chapter 21 (Factors influencing health status and contact with health services).
 
These additions are:
  • New subcategory Z28.31 (Underimmunization for COVID-19 status), and under it, two new patient status codes
    • Z28.310 (Unvaccinated for COVID-19)
    • (Partially vaccinated for COVID-19)
  • (Other underimmunization status)
A note is also included in this section which states: “These codes should not be used for individuals who are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, as determined by the healthcare provider.”
 
In addition to the new codes, the update also includes changes to the guidelines, tabular and alphabetic index.
 
A new guideline was added under I.C.1.g.1.n to explain Underimmunization for COVID-19 status which states:
 
“Code Z18.310, Unvaccinated for COVID-19, may be assigned when the patient has not received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. Code Z28.311, Partially vaccinated for COVID-19, may be assigned when the patient has received at least one dose of a multi-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen, but has not received the full set of doses necessary to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition of “fully vaccinated” in place at the time of the encounter. For information, visit the CDC’s website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/.”
 
The ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee had discussed the April addition at its September meeting, stating that CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics proposed the new undervaccinated status codes because “during the current time of the COVID-19 pandemic, immunizations have provided protection for many people, but there is interest in being able to track people who are not immunized or only partially immunized. At the current time, this is a significant modifiable risk factor for morbidity and mortality, and of interest for clinical reasons, as well as of value for public health.”
 
Besides the new Z codes, the rest of the April updates include minor edits to a handful of codes’ Tabular instructions, such as changing an Excludes 1 note to an Excludes 2 note.
 
For more details, see upcoming issue of Diagnosis Coding Pro for Home Health and Home Health Line.
 
Editors’ note: View the complete changes at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm.