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    v1.0.28
    OpenPayerBilling CodesCertain zoonotic bacterial diseasesICD-10-CM a20-plague
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    ICD-10-CM Code For Plague: Group Overview

    The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group A20 includes diagnoses for plague caused by Yersinia pestis, encompassing bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic presentations and site-specific manifestations. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document acute zoonotic bacterial infections, capturing disease severity, organ involvement, and clinical complexity such as systemic sepsis or respiratory failure. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM A20 group supports proper claim adjudication and complete clinical documentation and appropriate reimbursement.

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    ICD-10-CM A20: Plague Overview

    The ICD-10-CM A20 group represents infections caused by Yersinia pestis, including bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic forms of plague that can affect lymphatic, blood, or respiratory systems. These are acute, often severe zoonotic bacterial infections transmitted from animals or via fleas and respiratory droplets. Accurate coding is important for public health surveillance, outbreak response, and correct reimbursement for high-acuity infectious disease care.

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    When to Use

    Use a code from this group when a clinician documents plague due to Yersinia pestis, specifying the clinical form such as bubonic, septicemic, or pneumonic plague. Select the code that reflects the confirmed diagnosis and any documented complications or anatomic sites involved.

    ICD-10-CM Codes

    7 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    A20.0Bubonic plague
    A20.1Cellulocutaneous plague
    A20.2Pneumonic plague
    A20.3Plague meningitis
    A20.7Septicemic plague
    A20.8Other forms of plague
    A20.9Plague, unspecified

    DRG Codes

    9 rows

    DRG CodeDescription
    177Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC
    178Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC
    179Respiratory Infections and Inflammations without CC/MCC
    867Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with MCC
    868Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC
    869Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses without CC/MCC
    870Septicemia or Severe Sepsis with MV >96 Hours
    871Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours with MCC
    872Septicemia or Severe Sepsis without MV >96 Hours without MCC

    Typical Clinical Scenarios

    • An adult presents to the emergency department with sudden onset of high fever, severe regional lymphadenopathy that is extremely tender (buboes), marked malaise, and a history of recent rodent exposure while cleaning an attic. The rapid progression of systemic symptoms and localized suppurative lymph nodes prompts evaluation for a classic bubonic form of the disease, and clinicians assign a code from this group for acute bubonic infection. Typical codes: A20.0, A20.9
    • A middle-aged patient arrives with acute respiratory distress, hemoptysis, high fever, and rapidly evolving bilateral pulmonary infiltrates after close contact with a confirmed case; the presentation is consistent with primary pneumonic involvement. Because the patient has an acute, highly contagious pulmonary manifestation requiring isolation and urgent therapy, a pulmonary form code from this group is used. Typical codes: A20.1, A20.9
    • An older immunocompromised patient develops septicemia with hypotension and multi-organ dysfunction after a documented bite from an infected wild rodent; blood cultures grow Yersinia pestis and the course is complicated by secondary cutaneous lesions. Given the bloodstream infection with systemic complications, a septicemic or systemic code from this group is assigned to capture the severe invasive infection. Typical codes: A20.2, A20.8

    Related Codes

    A21-TULAREMIA

    ICD-10-CM Code For Tularemia: Group Overview

    A22-ANTHRAX

    ICD-10-CM Code For Anthrax: Group Overview

    A23-BRUCELLOSIS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Brucellosis: Group Overview

    A24-GLANDERS-AND-MELIOIDOSIS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Glanders And Melioidosis: Group Overview

    A25-RAT-BITE-FEVERS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Rat Bite Fevers: Group Overview

    A26-ERYSIPELOID-INFECTION

    ICD-10-CM Code For Erysipeloid: Group Overview

    A27-LEPTOSPIROSIS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Leptospirosis: Group Overview

    A28-OTHER-ZOONOTIC-BACTERIAL-DISEASES

    ICD-10-CM Code For Other Zoonotic Bacterial Diseases Not Elsewhere Classified: Group Overview

    Frequently Asked Questions

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
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