Z48.01 Encounter for change or removal of surgical wound dressing
Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026. Exempt from present-on-admission (POA) reporting.
Applies from Z48 Encounter for other postprocedural aftercare
Excludes1 (never code together)
encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment (Z08-Z09)
encounter for aftercare following injury - code to Injury, by site, with appropriate 7th character for subsequent encounter
Excludes2 (not included here)
encounter for attention to artificial openings (Z43.-)
encounter for fitting and adjustment of prosthetic and other devices (Z44-Z46)
Applies from Z48.0 Encounter for attention to dressings, sutures and drains
Excludes1 (never code together)
encounter for planned postprocedural wound closure (Z48.1)
MS-DRG index
Defines the logic of DRG(s) 951 in MDC 23.
Approximate ICD-9-CM (GEMs)
V58.31 Encounter for change or removal of surgical wound dressing
Medicare Code Edits (MCE v43.1 (April 2026))
Unacceptable principal diagnosis: These codes describe a circumstance which influences care but is not a current illness or injury, or capture only an underlying condition, and are unacceptable as principal diagnosis.
Code annotations containing back-references to Z48.01
Back-references to Z48.0
Type 1 Excludes: Z48.1 Encounter for planned postprocedural wound closure ("encounter for attention to dressings and sutures (Z48.0-)")
Back-references to Z48
Type 1 Excludes: Z08 Encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for malignant neoplasm ("aftercare following medical care (Z43-Z49, Z51)")
Type 1 Excludes: Z09 Encounter for follow-up examination after completed treatment for conditions other than malignant neoplasm ("aftercare following medical care (Z43-Z49, Z51)")
Type 2 Excludes: Z98 Other postprocedural states ("aftercare (Z43-Z49, Z51)")
Diagnosis Index entries for Z48.01
Admission (for) › change of › surgical dressing
Admission (for) › removal of › surgical dressing
Aftercare › following surgery (for) (on) › attention to › dressings (nonsurgical) › surgical
Aftercare › involving › removal of › surgical dressings
Attention (to) › surgical dressings
Change (s) (in) (of) › dressing (nonsurgical) › surgical