2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A54.81Gonococcal meningitis

ICD-10-CM Codes›A00–B99›A50-A64›A54

ICD-10-CM A54.81
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

A54.81 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for gonococcal meningitis. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). Coders also document this condition as gonococcal infection of the central nervous system. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Meningitis and Sexually transmitted infections (excluding HIV and hepatitis).

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
A54.81
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Gonococcal meningitis
Short Description
Gonococcal meningitis
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
A54.8
Other gonococcal infections

Code Classification

ChapterA00–B99Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
SectionA50-A64Infections with a predominantly sexual mode of transmission
CategoryA54Gonococcal infection
This CodeA54.81Gonococcal meningitis

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Gonococcal infection of the central nervous system
  • Gonococcal meningitis
  • Meningitis caused by gram-negative aerobic coccus

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Gonococcus, gonococcal(disease) (infection)
      • meninges, meningitis
    • Meningitis(basal) (basic) (brain) (cerebral) (cervical) (congestive) (diffuse) (hemorrhagic) (infantile) (membranous) (metastatic) (nonspecific) (pontine) (progressive) (simple) (spinal) (subacute) (sympathetic) (toxic)
      • gonococcal

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR NVS001
Meningitis
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient No
CCSR INF010
Sexually transmitted infections (excluding HIV and hepatitis)
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Patient EducationClinical

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is most common in young adults. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can infect the genital tract, mouth, or anus. You can get gonorrhea during vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected partner. A pregnant woman can pass it to her baby during childbirth.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert A54.81 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
098.82 Gonococcal meningitis
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About A54.81Overview

Is A54.81 (Other gonococcal infections) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report gonococcal meningitis on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of A54.81?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, gonococcal meningitis converts to ICD-9-CM 098.82 (gonococcal meningitis). The mapping is a direct match.

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.