2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A20.7Septicemic plague
ICD-10-CM Codes›A00–B99›A20-A28›A20
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- MCC — Major Complication or Comorbidity
- Risk Adjusts — HCC 2
- Not Chronic
A20.7 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for septicemic plague. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 870 through 872. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a major complication or comorbidity (MCC) and places an inpatient stay in the highest severity level of its MS-DRG family. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 47 closely related codes. Coders also document this condition as plague. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Bacterial infections and Septicemia.
For Medicare Advantage risk adjustment, A20.7 maps to CMS-HCC Category 2 (Septicemia, Sepsis, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/Shock) under the V28 model, adding a risk factor of about 0.500 for a community, non-dual, aged beneficiary in payment year 2027.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Medicare Risk Adjustment (HCC)Billing
A20.7 maps to a payment category in the CMS-HCC model used to risk-adjust Medicare Advantage payments. Weights are the published community factors for payment year 2027.
Source: CMS Payment Year 2027 risk adjustment mappings and model software. Weights are relative factors, not dollar amounts; a beneficiary's total RAF also includes demographics and interactions. Browse all CMS-HCC categories.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Plague
- Septicemic plague
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to A20.7: its own notes plus those printed at A20 and Chapter 1. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Includes
Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.
- infection due to Yersinia pestis
- diseases generally recognized as communicable or transmissible
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
- carrier or suspected carrier of infectious disease (Z22.-)
- certain localized infections - see body system-related chapters
- infectious and parasitic diseases complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O98.-)
- infectious and parasitic diseases specific to the perinatal period (P35-P39)
- influenza and other acute respiratory infections (J00-J22)
Use Additional Code
Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.
- code to identify resistance to antimicrobial drugs (Z16.-)
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name A20.7, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes1 1
These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming A20.7: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
septicemic A20.7
septicemic A20.7
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Plague
an acute infectious disease caused by yersinia pestis that affects humans, wild rodents, and their ectoparasites. this condition persists due to its firm entrenchment in sylvatic rodent-flea ecosystems throughout the world. bubonic plague is the most common form.
Patient EducationClinical
Plague
Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The bacteria are found mainly in rats and in the fleas that feed on them. People and other animals can get plague from rat or flea bites. In the past, plague destroyed entire civilizations. Today plague is uncommon, due to better living conditions and antibiotics.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert A20.7 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About A20.7Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for septicemic plague?
The ICD-10-CM code for septicemic plague is A20.7 (sometimes written as A207). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is A20.7 (Plague) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report septicemic plague on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does A20.7 group to?
When septicemic plague is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 872, 871, 870, with relative weights from 1.0066 to 6.9432 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is A20.7 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists A20.7 as an MCC (major complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it places the inpatient stay in the highest-weighted DRG of its severity family. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 47 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of A20.7?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, septicemic plague converts to ICD-9-CM 020.2 (septicemic plague). The mapping is a direct match.
What HCC is A20.7?
A20.7 (septicemic plague) maps to CMS-HCC Category 2 (Septicemia, Sepsis, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/Shock), commonly written as HCC 2, in the CMS-HCC V28 model used for Medicare Advantage risk adjustment in payment year 2027. It mapped to HCC 2 under the retired V24 model. It also maps in the PACE (CMS-HCC V22), ESRD (V21), and ESRD (V24) models. It does not map to any RxHCC in the Part D prescription drug model.
Does A20.7 risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage payment?
Yes. When documented and reported on a Medicare Advantage encounter, A20.7 adds a risk adjustment factor of about 0.500 to the beneficiary's RAF score for a community, non-dual, aged enrollee (published V28 weights range from 0.447 to 0.780 depending on the payment segment). HCC 2 sits at the top of its hierarchy, so no other condition category supersedes it. See the full factor table on the HCC 2 category page.
