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    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesOther bacterial diseasesICD-10-CM a49-bacterial-infection-unspecified-site
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    ICD-10-CM Code For Bacterial Infection Of Unspecified Site: Group Overview

    The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group A49 includes nonspecific bacterial infections where the causative organism is identified or unspecified and the site of infection is not clearly documented, covering presentations such as bacteremia, sepsis without specified focus, and other bacterial infections coded without anatomic detail. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document clinical encounters when site-specific information is unavailable, capturing disease severity, systemic involvement, and diagnostic uncertainty relevant to this group. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM A49 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

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    ICD-10-CM A49: Bacterial Infection Of Unspecified Site Overview

    The ICD-10-CM A49 group represents bacterial infections when the specific anatomic site is not identified or documented. These codes cover systemic or localized bacterial disease presentations that lack precise site specification in the record. Accurate coding matters for correct claim adjudication and reflects the level of diagnostic certainty and clinical documentation.

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    When to Use

    Use codes from this group when clinical documentation indicates a bacterial infection but does not specify the affected body site or when the provider documents a nonspecific bacterial infection presentation. Select these codes when laboratory results or clinical findings confirm bacterial involvement but the chart lacks anatomic localization.

    ICD-10-CM Codes

    7 rows

    ICD-10-CM CodeDescription
    A49.01Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infection, unspecified site
    A49.02Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, unspecified site
    A49.1Streptococcal infection, unspecified site
    A49.2Hemophilus influenzae infection, unspecified site
    A49.3Mycoplasma infection, unspecified site
    A49.8Other bacterial infections of unspecified site
    A49.9Bacterial infection, unspecified

    DRG Codes

    3 rows

    DRG CodeDescription
    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

    Typical Clinical Scenarios

    • Elderly patient presents to the emergency department with fever, rigors, hypotension, and a new onset delirium after several days of dyspnea and productive cough; blood cultures are pending but initial workup suggests systemic bacterial infection without a localized source identified. A diagnosis from this group is assigned when clinicians document a bacterial infection of unspecified site while awaiting culture results or when a clear primary focus cannot be determined. Typical codes: A49.9, A49.1
    • Middle-aged outpatient with poorly controlled diabetes reports several days of progressive redness, warmth, and pain of the lower leg but the clinic clinician documents cellulitis with uncertain causative organism and no wound culture obtained; the encounter is for evaluation and empiric therapy. When the provider documents a bacterial infection but the specific organism or precise site is not specified, a code from this group is used to reflect bacterial infection of an unspecified site. Typical codes: A49.9, A49.8
    • Hospitalized postoperative patient develops new fever and leukocytosis with purulent drainage from a surgical dressing, but intraoperative cultures are negative or not yet resulted and the treating team documents a postoperative wound infection of unknown bacterial etiology. This scenario uses a code from this group to capture a clinically apparent bacterial infection where the causative organism is not identified in the record. Typical codes: A49.2, A49.3

    Related Codes

    A30-LEPROSY-HANSEN-S-DISEASE

    ICD-10-CM Code For Leprosy Hansen's Disease: Group Overview

    A31-INFECTION-DUE-TO-OTHER-MYCOBACTERIA

    ICD-10-CM Code For Infection Due To Other Mycobacteria: Group Overview

    A32-LISTERIOSIS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Listeriosis: Group Overview

    A33-TETANUS-NEONATORUM

    ICD-10-CM Code For Tetanus Neonatorum: Group Overview

    A34-OBSTETRICAL-TETANUS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Obstetrical Tetanus: Group Overview

    A35-OTHER-TETANUS

    ICD-10-CM Code For Other Tetanus: Group Overview

    A36-DIPHTHERIA

    ICD-10-CM Code For Diphtheria: Group Overview

    A37-WHOOPING-COUGH

    ICD-10-CM Code For Whooping Cough: Group Overview

    A38-SCARLET-FEVER

    ICD-10-CM Code For Scarlet Fever: Group Overview

    A39-MENINGOCOCCAL-INFECTION

    ICD-10-CM Code For Meningococcal Infection: Group Overview

    Showing 1–10 of 16

    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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