Underdosing of oral contraceptives, initial encounter

This code signifies a patient's non-adherence to a prescribed oral contraceptive regimen, leading to a potential or actual therapeutic failure. It indicates that the patient did not take the medication as directed, resulting in an insufficient dose to achieve the intended contraceptive effect.

This code is appropriate when a patient presents with symptoms or concerns related to ineffective contraception due to missed pills, delayed refills, or other forms of underdosing of oral contraceptives. It can also be used when documenting a patient's self-reported underdosing during a routine visit or follow-up.

• Ensure documentation clearly supports underdosing rather than a medication error by the provider or pharmacy.
• This code is for the initial encounter for this specific underdosing event; subsequent encounters would use different seventh characters.
• Consider co-reporting with codes for any resulting conditions, such as an unplanned pregnancy (Z3A.00 for weeks of gestation) or other complications.