Z79.4 Long term (current) use of insulin

The ICD-10-CM code for Long term (current) use of insulin is Z79.4 (FY2026). It is a billable, claim-ready diagnosis code.

Classification

Chapter

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

Section

Z77-Z99: Persons with potential health hazards related to family and personal history and certain conditions influencing health status (Z77-Z99)

Category Z79

41 codes (32 billable)

FY2026 Status

Stable since FY2024

Also Known As

ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index entries that lead to Z79.4:

• Long-term (current) (prophylactic) drug therapy (use of) › insulin
• Therapy › drug, long-term (current) (prophylactic) › insulin

U.S. Hospital Utilization

• An estimated 2,836,535 U.S. inpatient stays in 2023 included Z79.4 among the documented diagnoses.

Source: National Inpatient Sample (NIS), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2016–2023. National survey-weighted estimates.

Official Coding Guidelines

Oral hypoglycemics + insulin: assign Z79.4 and Z79.84

If the patient is treated with both oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin, both code Z79.4, Long term (current) use of insulin, and code Z79.84, Long term (current) use of oral hypoglycemic drugs, should be assigned.

Insulin + injectable non-insulin: assign Z79.4 and Z79.85

If the patient is treated with both insulin and an injectable non-insulin antidiabetic drug, assign codes Z79.4, Long term (current) use of insulin, and Z79.85, Long-term (current) use of injectable non-insulin antidiabetic drugs.

Source: CMS — ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY2026

References

• CMS — ICD-10-CM Official Code Set and Guidelines, FY2026
• CDC/NCHS — ICD-10-CM Files and Browser Tool
• AHRQ — HCUP National Inpatient Sample, Frequencies by Diagnosis Code (2016–2023)