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ICD-10-CM tabular list

T36-T50Poisoning by, adverse effects of and underdosing of drugs, medicaments and biological substances

ICD-10-CM codes T36-T50 cover poisoning by, adverse effects of and underdosing of drugs, medicaments and biological substances, within injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes. The block holds 4,574 codes across 15 categories, of which 3,186 are billable and 1,388 are header codes that cannot be submitted on a claim. 4,574 of them (100%) require a 7th character.

Excludes1 — never code together

These conditions cannot occur together. Billing both on the same encounter is a denial.

  • toxic reaction to local anesthesia in pregnancy (O29.3-)

Excludes2 — not included here, but may coexist

The excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient can have both. You may code both.

  • abuse and dependence of psychoactive substances (F10-F19)
  • abuse of non-dependence-producing substances (F55.-)
  • immunodeficiency due to drugs (D84.821)
  • drug reaction and poisoning affecting newborn (P00-P96)
  • pathological drug intoxication (inebriation) (F10-F19)

Code first

The underlying condition must be sequenced before this code.

  • , for adverse effects, the nature of the adverse effect, such as:
  • adverse effect NOS (T88.7)
  • aspirin gastritis (K29.-)
  • blood disorders (D56-D76)
  • contact dermatitis (L23-L25)
  • dermatitis due to substances taken internally (L27.-)
  • nephropathy (N14.0-N14.2)

Use additional code

Add a secondary code to capture the detail described below.

  • code(s) to specify:
  • manifestations of poisoning
  • underdosing or failure in dosage during medical and surgical care (Y63.6, Y63.8-Y63.9)
  • underdosing of medication regimen (Z91.12-, Z91.13-)

Includes

Conditions this code covers.

  • adverse effect of correct substance properly administered
  • poisoning by overdose of substance
  • poisoning by wrong substance given or taken in error
  • underdosing by (inadvertently) (deliberately) taking less substance than prescribed or instructed

Notes

Additional guidance from the ICD-10-CM tabular list.

  • The drug giving rise to the adverse effect should be identified by use of codes from categories T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5.

The 7th character in T36-T50

A code in this block is not complete without its 7th character, and a missing one is a rejected claim rather than a denied one: the clearinghouse never passes it on. 4,574 of the 4,574 codes here take one.

A
initial encounter
D
subsequent encounter
S
sequela

Risk adjustment in T36-T50

0 codes in this block map to a CMS-HCC, which means the diagnosis carries a risk-adjustment payment when it is documented and coded. Under-coding here is money left on the table; over-coding here is what audits are for.

  • HCC 155 Major Depression, Moderate or Severe, without Psychosis
  • HCC 137 Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications

What else to watch in T36-T50

  • 3,173 codes are named in Medicare coverage policies. An LCD or NCD lists them as supporting medical necessity, or explicitly as not supporting it. Which applies depends on the MAC for your state.

Categories in T36-T50

ICD-10-CMFY2026-Apr· effective April 1, 2026