2025 ICD-10-CM code Z59
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Factors influencing health status and contact with health services - Persons with potential health hazards related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services (Z00-Z99) Feed
Problems related to housing and economic circumstances.
The medical necessity for using Z59 is established when the housing and economic circumstances are documented as having a direct impact on the patient's health status, influencing the need for healthcare services, or affecting the treatment plan.
Clinicians should document the specific details of the housing and economic problems to support the use of Z59. This includes the type of housing problem (e.g., homelessness, overcrowding, lack of utilities), the economic difficulties faced (e.g., unemployment, poverty, lack of insurance), and the impact on the patient's health.
- Chapter 21: Factors influencing health status and contact with health services (Z00-Z99)
- Persons with potential health hazards related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances (Z55-Z65)
In simple words: This code is used when a person's housing or economic situation is affecting their health, such as being homeless, having inadequate housing, not having enough food, or lacking sufficient social insurance.
This code encompasses a range of problems related to housing and economic circumstances, including homelessness, inadequate housing, lack of food, and insufficient social insurance.It excludes problems related to upbringing (Z62.-).
Example 1: A patient is experiencing homelessness and presents to the clinic for a health check-up. The physician documents the patient's homelessness and its impact on their health, using Z59.00., A patient lives in inadequate housing with no heating during the winter months, which exacerbates their asthma. The physician documents the inadequate housing and its impact on their respiratory health, using Z59.11., A patient struggles with food insecurity and presents to the clinic with symptoms of malnutrition. The physician documents the lack of adequate food and its impact on their nutritional status, using Z59.41.
Documentation should clearly specify the nature of the housing or economic problem, how it impacts the patient's health status, and any associated social services involved. If a procedure is performed, a corresponding procedure code must accompany the Z code.
** It is crucial to differentiate Z59 from codes describing problems related to upbringing (Z62.-). It is always important to code the underlying medical conditions in addition to Z59 when applicable.
- Specialties:Many specialties might use this code, including primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and social work, especially in settings serving vulnerable populations.
- Place of Service:Various places of service, such as "Office", "Home", "Homeless Shelter", "Outreach Site/Street," "Federally Qualified Health Center", "Public Health Clinic", "Hospital", and "Emergency Room - Hospital", depending upon the context.