2021 ICD-10-CM Code A68.9
Relapsing fever, unspecified
Valid for Submission
A68.9 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of relapsing fever, unspecified. The code A68.9 is valid during the fiscal year 2021 from October 01, 2020 through September 30, 2021 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions.
The ICD-10-CM code A68.9 might also be used to specify conditions or terms like relapsing fever, relapsing fever of asia and/or africa, relapsing fever of central and/or south africa, relapsing fever of central and/or south america, relapsing fever of iberian peninsula and/or northwest africa , relapsing fever of iran and/or central asia, etc.
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.
| ICD-10: | A68.9 |
| Short Description: | Relapsing fever, unspecified |
| Long Description: | Relapsing fever, unspecified |
Code Classification
Index to Diseases and Injuries
The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10 code(s). The following references for the code A68.9 are found in the index:
- - Fever (inanition) (of unknown origin) (persistent) (with chills) (with rigor) - R50.9
- - relapsing (Borrelia) - A68.9
- - Koch's - A68.9
- - relapsing (Borrelia) - A68.9
- - Koch's
- - relapsing fever - A68.9
- - Novy's relapsing fever - A68.9
- - Relapsing fever - A68.9
Approximate Synonyms
The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:
- Relapsing fever
- Relapsing fever of Asia AND/OR Africa
- Relapsing fever of Central AND/OR South Africa
- Relapsing fever of Central AND/OR South America
- Relapsing fever of Iberian Peninsula AND/OR Northwest Africa
- Relapsing fever of Iran AND/OR Central Asia
- Relapsing fever of Southern U.S., Mexico, Central AND/OR South America
- Relapsing fever of the Caucasus
- Relapsing fever of Western North America
- Relapsing fever of Western United States
Clinical Information
- 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.
- 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.
Diagnostic Related Groups - MS-DRG Mapping
The ICD-10 code A68.9 is grouped in the following groups for version MS-DRG V38.0 What are Diagnostic Related Groups?
The Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) are a patient classification scheme which provides a means of relating the type of patients a hospital treats. The DRGs divides all possible principal diagnoses into mutually exclusive principal diagnosis areas referred to as Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC). applicable from 10/01/2020 through 09/30/2021.
Convert A68.9 to ICD-9 Code
- 087.9 - Relapsing fever NOS
Information for Patients
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 bacteria won't hurt you - less than 1 percent of the different types make people sick. Many are helpful. Some bacteria 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
- Actinomycosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Bacterial vaginosis -- aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Blood culture (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Gram stain (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Gram stain of skin lesion (Medical Encyclopedia)
- Necrotizing soft tissue infection (Medical Encyclopedia)
[Learn More]
Code History
- 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 (First year ICD-10-CM implemented into the HIPAA code set)