2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code B54Unspecified malaria
ICD-10-CM Codes›A00–B99›B50-B64›B54
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- Not Chronic
B54 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified malaria. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 867 through 869. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) and moves an inpatient stay to a higher severity level within its MS-DRG family. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 32 closely related codes. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Parasitic, other specified and unspecified infections.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Airport malaria
- Asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus infection
- Autoimmune reaction following infectious disease
- Clinical infection
- Clinical malaria
- Complicated malaria
- Disease caused by Plasmodiidae
- Hemolytic anemia due to infection
- Hemolytic anemia due to malaria
- Human immunodeficiency virus World Health Organization 2007 stage 1 co-occurrent with malaria
- Human immunodeficiency virus World Health Organization 2007 stage 2 co-occurrent with malaria
- Human immunodeficiency virus World Health Organization 2007 stage 3 co-occurrent with malaria
- Human immunodeficiency virus World Health Organization 2007 stage 4 co-occurrent with malaria
- Hyperreactive malarial splenomegaly syndrome
- Induced malaria
- Intermittent fever
- Lymphoid system finding
- Malaria
- Malaria in mother complicating childbirth
- Malarial fever
- Malarial hepatitis
- Maternal malaria during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
- Mixed malaria
- Myelitis caused by Plasmodium
- Nephrotic syndrome in malaria
- Parasitic disease in mother complicating pregnancy, childbirth AND/OR puerperium
- Parasitic infection causing myelitis
- Protozoal disease complicating pregnancy childbirth and the puerperium
- Protozoal myelitis
- Therapeutically induced malaria
- World Health Organization 2007 Human immunodeficiency virus infection clinical stage 1
- World Health Organization 2007 Human immunodeficiency virus infection clinical stage 2
- World Health Organization 2007 Human immunodeficiency virus infection clinical stage 3
- World Health Organization 2007 Human immunodeficiency virus infection clinical stage 4
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to B54: its own notes plus those printed at block B50-B64 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.
- diseases generally recognized as communicable or transmissible
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
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 B54, its category, or a range that includes it.
Applicable To 1
These notes mention B54.
- O98.6 Protozoal diseases complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
Code First 2
These codes say to code first a condition named in the note, and B54 is one of the conditions named.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Disorder (of) See Also: Disease;
clinically diagnosed (without parasitological confirmation) B54
hemorrhagic B54
recurrent B54
remittent B54
spleen B54
typhoid B54
Splenitis (interstitial) (malignant) (nonspecific) D73.89
malarial See Also: Malaria; B54
Splenomegaly, splenomegalia (Bengal) (cryptogenic) (idiopathic) (tropical) R16.1
malarial See Also: Malaria; B54
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Malaria
a protozoan disease caused in humans by four species of the plasmodium genus: plasmodium falciparum; plasmodium vivax; plasmodium ovale; and plasmodium malariae; and transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito of the genus anopheles. malaria is endemic in parts of asia, africa, central and south america, oceania, and certain caribbean islands. it is characterized by extreme exhaustion associated with paroxysms of high fever; sweating; shaking chills; and anemia. malaria in animals is caused by other species of plasmodia.
Patient EducationClinical
Malaria
Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite. You get it when an infected mosquito bites you. Malaria is a major cause of death worldwide, but it is almost wiped out in the United States. The disease is mostly a problem in developing countries with warm climates. If you travel to these countries, you are at risk.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert B54 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About B54Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for unspecified malaria?
The ICD-10-CM code for unspecified malaria is B54. It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is B54 (Unspecified malaria) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report unspecified malaria on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does B54 group to?
When unspecified malaria is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 867, 869, 868, with relative weights from 0.6784 to 2.1855 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is B54 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists B54 as a CC (complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it moves the inpatient stay to a higher-weighted DRG within its severity family. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 32 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can B54 be reported with a code from A06?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at block B50-B64, which applies to B54, lists "amebiasis (A06.-)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
