2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G03.9Meningitis, unspecified
ICD-10-CM Codes›G00–G99›G00-G09›G03
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- MCC — Major Complication or Comorbidity
- Not Chronic
G03.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for meningitis, unspecified. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 97 through 99, 791, 793. 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 106 closely related codes. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Meningitis.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Acute meningitis
- Adhesive arachnoiditis
- Arachnoiditis
- Basilar meningitis
- Chronic bilateral vestibulopathy due to and following meningitis
- Decreased flexion
- Hemorrhagic meningitis
- Immunoglobulin G4 related pachymeningitis
- Leptomeningitis
- Malignant meningitis
- Meningitis
- Meningitis following procedure
- Meningomyelitis
- Metastatic malignant neoplasm of meninges
- Neonatal meningitis
- Non-infective meningitis
- Nuchal rigidity
- Nuchal rigidity due to meningitis
- Pachymeningitis
- Postoperative meningitis
- Posttraumatic meningitis
- Recurrent meningitis
- Sequelae of meningitis
- Spinal arachnoiditis
- Spinal effusion
- Subdural effusion
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to G03.9: its own notes plus those printed at G03 and Chapter 6. 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.
- arachnoiditis NOS
- leptomeningitis NOS
- meningitis NOS
- pachymeningitis NOS
Applicable To
Conditions this code is used for: synonyms of the title or, for "other specified" codes, the conditions assigned to it. The list is not exhaustive.
- Arachnoiditis (spinal) NOS
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.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Meningitis
inflammation of the coverings of the brain and/or spinal cord, which consist of the pia mater; arachnoid; and dura mater. infections (viral, bacterial, and fungal) are the most common causes of this condition, but subarachnoid hemorrhage (hemorrhages, subarachnoid), chemical irritation (chemical meningitis), granulomatous conditions, neoplastic conditions (carcinomatous meningitis), and other inflammatory conditions may produce this syndrome. (from joynt, clinical neurology, 1994, ch24, p6)
Patient EducationClinical
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. There are several types of meningitis. The most common is viral meningitis. You get it when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is rare but can be deadly.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert G03.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About G03.9Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for meningitis, unspecified?
The ICD-10-CM code for meningitis, unspecified is G03.9 (sometimes written as G039). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is G03.9 (Meningitis due to other and unspecified causes) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report meningitis, unspecified on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does G03.9 group to?
When meningitis, unspecified is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 793, 791, 98, 99, 97, with relative weights from 1.5249 to 4.2192 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is G03.9 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists G03.9 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 106 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can G03.9 be reported with a code from G04?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at G03, which applies to G03.9, lists "meningoencephalitis (G04.-)". 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).
