2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A68.9

Relapsing fever, unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
A68.9
ICD-10 Code for:
Relapsing fever, unspecified
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
    (A00–B99)
    • Other spirochetal diseases
      (A65-A69)
      • Relapsing fevers
        (A68)

A68.9 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of relapsing fever, unspecified. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like A68.9 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Ornithodoros

    a genus of softbacked ticks, in the family argasidae, serving as the vector of borrelia, causing relapsing fever, and of the african swine fever virus.
  • Relapsing Fever

    an acute infection characterized by recurrent episodes of pyrexia alternating with asymptomatic intervals of apparent recovery. this condition is caused by spirochetes of the genus borrelia. it is transmitted by the bites of either the body louse (pediculus humanus corporis), for which humans are the reservoir, or by soft ticks of the genus ornithodoros, for which rodents and other animals are the principal reservoirs.

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Convert A68.9 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 087.9 - Relapsing fever NOS

Patient Education


Bacterial Infections

Bacteria are living things that have only one cell. Under a microscope, they look like balls, rods, or spirals. They are so small that a line of 1,000 could fit across a pencil eraser. Most types of don't make you sick. Many types are helpful. Some of them help to digest food, destroy disease-causing cells, and give the body needed vitamins. Bacteria are also used in making healthy foods like yogurt and cheese.

But infectious bacteria can make you ill. They reproduce quickly in your body. Many give off chemicals called toxins, which can damage tissue and make you sick. Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli.

Antibiotics are the usual treatment. When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Each time you take antibiotics, you increase the chances that bacteria in your body will learn to resist them causing antibiotic resistance. Later, you could get or spread an infection that those antibiotics cannot cure.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.