Sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. A40.3 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2019 edition of ICD-10-CM A40.3 became effective on October 1, 2018.
ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code J85.1 [convert to ICD-9-CM] Abscess of lung with pneumonia Lung abscess with pneumonia; the type of pneumonia ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code O86.04 [convert to ICD-9-CM] Sepsis following an obstetrical procedure code to identify the sepsis ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code P36.5 [convert to ICD-9-CM] Sepsis of newborn due to anaerobes
ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A40.3 [convert to ICD-9-CM] Sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Sepsis with streptococcus pneumoniae septicemia; Sepsis without acute organ dysfunction due to pneumococcal septicemia; Septic shock acute organ dysfunction, streptococcal; Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to pneumococcal septicemia; …
ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A40.3 [convert to ICD-9-CM] Sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Sepsis with streptococcus pneumoniae septicemia; Sepsis without acute organ dysfunction due to pneumococcal septicemia; Septic shock acute organ dysfunction, streptococcal; Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to pneumococcal septicemia; …
ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H61.322 Acquired stenosis of left external ear canal secondary to inflammation and infection 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Billable/Specific Code
Documentation issues: Often, a patient with a localized infection may exhibit tachycardia, leukocytosis, tachypnea, and fever, but not truly have SIRS or sepsis. These are typical symptoms of any infection.
SIRS is manifested by two or more of the following symptoms: fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, leukocytosis, or leukopenia. Documentation issues: When SIRS is documented on the chart, determine if it’s due to an infectious or non-infectious cause. SIRS due to a localized infection can no longer be coded as sepsis in.
Codes from category P36 include the organism; an additional code for the infectious organism is not assigned. If the P36 code does not describe the specific organism, an additional code for the organism can be assigned. Urosepsis. The term “urosepsis” is not coded in ICD-10-CM.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues. Without timely treatment, sepsis can progress rapidly and lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and then death. Proper coding of sepsis and SIRS requires the coder to understand the stages of sepsis and common documentation issues.
Sepsis is an extreme response to infection that develops when the chemicals the immune system releases into the bloodstream to fight infection cause widespread inflammation. This inflammation can lead to blood clots and leaky blood vessels, and without timely treatment, may result in organ dysfunction and then death. Severe cases of sepsis often result from a body-wide infection that spreads through the bloodstream, but sepsis can also be triggered by an infection in the lungs, stomach, kidneys, or bladder. Thus, it is not necessary for blood cultures to be positive to code sepsis (guideline I.C.1.d.1.a.i).
A systemic infection can occur as a complication of a procedure or due to a device, implant, or graft. This includes systemic infections due to postoperative wound infections, infusions, transfusions, therapeutic injections, implanted devices, and transplants.
Sepsis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and septicemia have historically been difficult to code. Changing terminology, evolving definitions, and guideline updates over the past 20 years have created confusion with coding sepsis.
Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract. When localized infections are contained, they tend to be self-limiting and resolve with antibiotics. It’s important to identify and treat localized infections promptly, otherwise, sepsis may develop.
Documentation issues: A patient with a localized infection usually presents with tachycardia, leukocytosis, tachypnea, and/or fever. These are typical symptoms of any infection. It is up to the clinical judgment of the physician to decide whether the patient has sepsis.
When a patient is diagnosed solely with bacteremia, it means that they are not showing any clinical signs of sepsis or SIRS. Bacteremia may be transient, or it can lead to sepsis. When a patient’s blood cultures are positive, but the physician does not believe it to be a contaminant, the patient is treated with antibiotics.