ICD-10-PCS Code For Skin And Mucous Membranes: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group 3E10 includes procedures performed to irrigate skin and mucous membranes in physiological systems and anatomical regions. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when cleansing or flushing of the skin or mucosal surfaces is performed to remove contaminants, debris, or topical substances. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS 3E10 group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the procedure performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

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Skin And Mucous Membranes Irrigation Procedure Overview

The procedures in this group involve irrigation of the skin and mucous membranes, targeting the physiological systems and anatomical regions associated with those surfaces. Irrigation procedures typically cleanse, flush, or remove debris, contaminants, or topical substances from the skin and mucosal surfaces. Accurate coding of these irrigation procedures is important for inpatient reimbursement because it documents the clinical care performed and supports proper case mix assignment and payment.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
3	Section	Administration
E	Body System	Physiological Systems and Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Irrigation
0	Body Part	Skin and Mucous Membranes

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Skin And Mucous Membranes: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Skin And Mucous Membranes Irrigation Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
3	Section	Administration
E	Body System	Physiological Systems and Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Irrigation
0	Body Part	Skin and Mucous Membranes

When to Use

Use a code from this group when an irrigation procedure of the skin or mucous membranes is performed as part of inpatient care, such as cleansing wounds, removing debris, or flushing irritants. Select the code that matches the documented body part, approach, and any secondary qualifiers recorded in the operative or procedure note.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

4 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
3E1038X	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance, Percutaneous Approach, Diagnostic
3E1038Z	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance, Percutaneous Approach
3E10X8X	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance, Diagnostic
3E10X8Z	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient is admitted after a fall that resulted in an extensive superficial abrasion with embedded dirt and debris across a large area of exposed skin. Inpatient care includes thorough cleansing of the skin surfaces to remove contaminants and reduce infection risk, performed at the bedside through a percutaneous flushing technique using an appropriate irrigating substance. The irrigation is documented as a targeted procedure to cleanse the skin and mucosal surfaces before wound dressing and ongoing inpatient wound care. Typical codes: 3E1038Z
A patient scheduled for inpatient debridement of chronic pressure ulcers undergoes preoperative cleansing of the ulcer beds and surrounding mucocutaneous margins to remove topical agents and accumulated secretions. The irrigation is performed as part of the planned operative preparation using an irrigating substance applied directly to the skin and mucous membranes to optimize the surgical field. This documented irrigation is a diagnostic/therapeutic cleansing step integral to the elective inpatient procedure. Typical codes: 3E10X8X
A hospitalized patient develops localized chemical dermatitis after topical medication application, with residual irritant material adherent to mucosal and perioral skin surfaces. A repeat inpatient irrigation is required to flush away the offending agent and reduce ongoing mucocutaneous irritation; the procedure is performed percutaneously using an irrigating substance and documented as irrigation of the skin and mucous membranes. This follow-up cleansing addresses the complication from prior topical therapy and aids in symptom resolution. Typical codes: 3E1038X

Related Codes

3E19-NOSE-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Nose: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1B-EAR-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Ear: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1C-EYE-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Eye: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1F-RESPIRATORY-TRACT-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1G-UPPER-GI-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code for Upper GI: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1H-LOWER-GI-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower GI: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1J-BILIARY-AND-PANCREATIC-TRACT-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Biliary And Pancreatic Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1K-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1L-PLEURAL-CAVITY-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Pleural Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1M-PERITONEAL-CAVITY-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Peritoneal Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 17

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

4 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
3E1038X	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance, Percutaneous Approach, Diagnostic
3E1038Z	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance, Percutaneous Approach
3E10X8X	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance, Diagnostic
3E10X8Z	Irrigation of Skin and Mucous Membranes using Irrigating Substance

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient is admitted after a fall that resulted in an extensive superficial abrasion with embedded dirt and debris across a large area of exposed skin. Inpatient care includes thorough cleansing of the skin surfaces to remove contaminants and reduce infection risk, performed at the bedside through a percutaneous flushing technique using an appropriate irrigating substance. The irrigation is documented as a targeted procedure to cleanse the skin and mucosal surfaces before wound dressing and ongoing inpatient wound care. Typical codes: 3E1038Z
A patient scheduled for inpatient debridement of chronic pressure ulcers undergoes preoperative cleansing of the ulcer beds and surrounding mucocutaneous margins to remove topical agents and accumulated secretions. The irrigation is performed as part of the planned operative preparation using an irrigating substance applied directly to the skin and mucous membranes to optimize the surgical field. This documented irrigation is a diagnostic/therapeutic cleansing step integral to the elective inpatient procedure. Typical codes: 3E10X8X
A hospitalized patient develops localized chemical dermatitis after topical medication application, with residual irritant material adherent to mucosal and perioral skin surfaces. A repeat inpatient irrigation is required to flush away the offending agent and reduce ongoing mucocutaneous irritation; the procedure is performed percutaneously using an irrigating substance and documented as irrigation of the skin and mucous membranes. This follow-up cleansing addresses the complication from prior topical therapy and aids in symptom resolution. Typical codes: 3E1038X

Related Codes

3E19-NOSE-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Nose: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1B-EAR-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Ear: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1C-EYE-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Eye: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1F-RESPIRATORY-TRACT-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1G-UPPER-GI-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code for Upper GI: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1H-LOWER-GI-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower GI: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1J-BILIARY-AND-PANCREATIC-TRACT-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Biliary And Pancreatic Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1K-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1L-PLEURAL-CAVITY-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Pleural Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

3E1M-PERITONEAL-CAVITY-IRRIGATION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Peritoneal Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 17

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-PCS Code For Skin And Mucous Membranes: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Skin And Mucous Membranes: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Skin And Mucous Membranes Irrigation Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Skin And Mucous Membranes: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Skin And Mucous Membranes: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Skin And Mucous Membranes Irrigation Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in ICD-10-PCS code group 3E10?

What are the key code attributes for the 3E10 group?

Can you list the individual ICD-10-PCS codes in this group?

Why is accurate coding in the 3E10 group important for inpatient care?

Are there related DRGs listed for the 3E10 code group?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in ICD-10-PCS code group 3E10?

What are the key code attributes for the 3E10 group?

Can you list the individual ICD-10-PCS codes in this group?

Why is accurate coding in the 3E10 group important for inpatient care?

Are there related DRGs listed for the 3E10 code group?

References