Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The Horizon® name and symbols are registered marks of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. © 2025 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Three Penn Plaza East, Newark, New Jersey 07105. ECN0024487 (0625)
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Using ICD-10 Z Codes
Documenting non-clinical societal and environmental conditions can help bridge the gap created by inequities within health care. To help identify a patient’s social risk factors and unmet needs, we encourage you to document applicable ICD-10 codes for health services Z00 – Z99 (Z codes) in their medical records.
Horizon is committed to advancing health equity by partnering with doctors and other health care professionals to ensure that all patients, regardless of their background or circumstances, receive the care they need. By working together, we aim to eliminate disparities, improve access to quality care, and promote better health outcomes for underserved communities.
To achieve this goal, we have compiled resources and tools to help illustrate the barriers that patients may face while trying to access care.
Health Equity Resources for Providers
Available Training
Improving Health Literacy
Learn more about Health Equity
Improving Health Literacy
Using ICD-10 Z Codes
Health Guides
Available Training
We have created a series of health guides on several topics that focus on helping patients understand the barriers to care they may experience when managing a health condition.
Resources
The following resources can help you improve your patient’s health literacy:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Understanding Health Literacy.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Health Literacy.
Every day, people make important, life-changing decisions about their health, which are affected by their level of health literacy. Health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use information and services to make the best health decisions. When someone doesn't understand their health, they often have poorer health outcomes and higher health care costs.
As part of our commitment to improve health care for all our members, we offer free, self-guided cultural competency training to all network providers and practice staff.
Interpreter services
If your Horizon patients need help understanding their health information, interpreter services are available. Members can call the Member Services number on the back of their member ID card.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the key areas of concern are:
Food insecurity: Z59.41
Transportation insecurity: Z59.82
Housing instability: Z59.8
Health Guides
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Visit our website to access information that can help you better identify and interact with your patients who may have limited English proficiency. Topics include:
Languages spoken in New Jersey
Interacting with limited English proficiency patients
Using Z codes for Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)
You can use Z codes to document the reasons for providing health services, not related to diseases or injury, which can influence an individual’s well-being. We use this information to improve care quality and coordination and patient experience. This information helps us connect members with community-based programs and support services so their needs can be met.
ICD-10-CM diagnosis code categories
Z55 – Z65: Persons with potential health hazards related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances
Z69 – Z76: Persons encountering health services in other circumstances
Z77 – Z99: Persons with potential health hazards related to family and personal history/certain conditions influencing health status
For more info
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Using Z Codes.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Improving the Collection of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) Data with ICD-10-CM Z Codes.
Learn more about how you can help patients get the care they need and access available programs and resources.
Training courses, offered through Quality Interactions, are accredited to provide continuing education credits for professional development and health care licensing. Courses provide one CME, CEU, CCM, CDE or ASWC credit hour.
See the list of available courses you can register for at Quality Interactions.
You can use the CDC National Center for Health Statistics ICD-10-CM browser tool to search for current Z codes.
