2025 ICD-10-CM code Z22.3
Carrier of other specified bacterial diseases. This code is used when a person is a carrier of a bacterial disease other than typhoid, diphtheria, meningococcal, staphylococcal, or streptococcal infections.
Medical necessity for the use of Z22.3 is established when there is a clinical need to document an individual's carrier status for a specific bacterial disease. This could be for public health reporting, infection control measures, or to guide treatment decisions for the carrier or their contacts.
Clinicians use this code to document a patient's carrier status for public health surveillance and infection control purposes. This code may also be used for contact tracing and to guide preventative measures, such as prophylactic treatment for contacts.
In simple words: This code means you can spread certain bacteria that cause illness to others, even if you don't feel sick yourself.It's not one of the common ones like typhoid or strep throat, but another kind of bacteria.
This code indicates that an individual is a carrier of a specified bacterial disease, excluding typhoid, diphtheria, meningococcal disease, staphylococcal infections, and streptococcal infections.A carrier is a person who harbors and can transmit a pathogenic organism without exhibiting symptoms of the disease.This code is used for administrative purposes, such as identifying individuals who may pose a public health risk.
Example 1: A patient is found to be a carrier of Clostridium difficile during a routine screening before a hospital admission., A food handler is identified as a carrier of Salmonella after an outbreak of food poisoning., A healthcare worker tests positive for MRSA colonization but displays no symptoms.
Documentation should include the specific bacterial disease the individual is carrying, the laboratory test results confirming the carrier status, and any relevant clinical findings or risk factors.
- Specialties:Infectious Disease, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, On Campus-Outpatient Hospital, Off Campus-Outpatient Hospital, Public Health Clinic, Office, Independent Clinic