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

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group A78 includes infections caused by Coxiella burnetii such as acute Q fever and chronic Q fever presentations including endocarditis and other organ-specific complications. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document clinical scenarios ranging from febrile respiratory illness to chronic cardiovascular involvement, capturing disease severity, organ involvement, or clinical complexity relevant to this group. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM A78 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Q Fever: Group Overview policy alerts

Get alerted when relevant policies change without checking for updates manually.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

ICD-10-CM A78: Q Fever Overview

The ICD-10-CM A78 group represents infections caused by Coxiella burnetii, commonly known as Q fever, affecting multiple organ systems including the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. These diagnoses capture both acute and chronic presentations such as febrile illness and endocarditis. Accurate coding matters for complete clinical documentation and proper reimbursement for services related to infectious disease evaluation and management.

When to Use

Use a code from this group when clinical documentation confirms Q fever infection, whether acute or chronic, with specified organ involvement. Select the code that reflects the documented presentation and any complications, such as endocarditis or persistent infection.

ICD-10-CM Codes

1 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
A78	Q fever

DRG Codes

3 rows

DRG Code	Description
867	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with MCC
868	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC
869	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

A previously healthy adult presents to the emergency department with high fever, severe headache, myalgias, and a dry cough after returning from a farm visit where they had direct contact with livestock birthing products. Laboratory testing shows elevated liver enzymes and serology consistent with acute infection; a diagnosis from this group is assigned to document acute systemic infection due to the identified zoonotic organism. Typical codes: A78
An older patient with prosthetic cardiac valve develops persistent low-grade fever, night sweats, and signs of endocarditis several weeks after a confirmed exposure to farm animals; blood cultures are negative but serology and PCR support chronic infection requiring prolonged monitoring and treatment. The diagnosis from this group is used to capture a subacute or chronic infectious process complicating cardiac comorbidity and guiding longitudinal care. Typical codes: A78
A pregnant woman in prenatal clinic screening reports recent febrile illness with rash and arthralgia after assisting with lambing; obstetric evaluation notes concern for possible infection that could affect pregnancy outcome, and targeted testing returns positive. The diagnosis from this group is assigned to denote maternal infection with potential implications for fetal monitoring and additional obstetric follow-up. Typical codes: A78

Related Codes

A75-TYPHUS-FEVER

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

A77-SPOTTED-FEVER-TICK-BORNE-RICKETTSIOSES

ICD-10-CM Code For Spotted Fever Tick-Borne Rickettsioses: Group Overview

A79-OTHER-RICKETTSIOSES

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

Frequently Asked Questions

References

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.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.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.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

1 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
A78	Q fever

DRG Codes

3 rows

DRG Code	Description
867	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with MCC
868	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses with CC
869	Other Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Diagnoses without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

A previously healthy adult presents to the emergency department with high fever, severe headache, myalgias, and a dry cough after returning from a farm visit where they had direct contact with livestock birthing products. Laboratory testing shows elevated liver enzymes and serology consistent with acute infection; a diagnosis from this group is assigned to document acute systemic infection due to the identified zoonotic organism. Typical codes: A78
An older patient with prosthetic cardiac valve develops persistent low-grade fever, night sweats, and signs of endocarditis several weeks after a confirmed exposure to farm animals; blood cultures are negative but serology and PCR support chronic infection requiring prolonged monitoring and treatment. The diagnosis from this group is used to capture a subacute or chronic infectious process complicating cardiac comorbidity and guiding longitudinal care. Typical codes: A78
A pregnant woman in prenatal clinic screening reports recent febrile illness with rash and arthralgia after assisting with lambing; obstetric evaluation notes concern for possible infection that could affect pregnancy outcome, and targeted testing returns positive. The diagnosis from this group is assigned to denote maternal infection with potential implications for fetal monitoring and additional obstetric follow-up. Typical codes: A78

Related Codes

A75-TYPHUS-FEVER

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

A77-SPOTTED-FEVER-TICK-BORNE-RICKETTSIOSES

ICD-10-CM Code For Spotted Fever Tick-Borne Rickettsioses: Group Overview

A79-OTHER-RICKETTSIOSES

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

Frequently Asked Questions

References

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.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.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.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

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

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Q Fever: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM A78: Q Fever Overview

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

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Q Fever: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM A78: Q Fever Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM code represents Q fever?

What clinical presentations are captured within `A78`?

How does accurate coding within `A78` affect reimbursement?

Which DRGs commonly relate to the `A78` diagnosis group?

What systems are commonly affected by the infections in `A78`?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM code represents Q fever?

What clinical presentations are captured within `A78`?

How does accurate coding within `A78` affect reimbursement?

Which DRGs commonly relate to the `A78` diagnosis group?

What systems are commonly affected by the infections in `A78`?

References