ICD-10-CM Code For Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group B96 includes codes that identify bacterial agents responsible for diseases classified elsewhere, specifying the organism causing an infection such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, or other bacterial pathogens and linking them to organ-specific disease codes. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document the presence of a specific bacterial etiology when it is relevant to the patients clinical management, capturing organism identification and its role in disease severity or complications. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM B96 group supports proper claim adjudication and complete clinical documentation.

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ICD-10-CM B96: Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere Overview

This code group identifies bacterial organisms that are the cause of diseases classified in other chapters, such as specific infections of organs or systemic conditions driven by bacterial pathogens. These codes link the infectious agent to the disease presentation and often accompany codes for the affected body system. Accurate coding matters for complete clinical documentation and supports appropriate reimbursement by clarifying etiology.

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a bacterial organism has been identified as the cause of a disease that is coded elsewhere and the etiology is relevant to care or billing. These codes are selected in addition to the primary disease code to document the infectious agent when supported by clinical or laboratory evidence.

ICD-10-CM Codes

16 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
B96.0	Mycoplasma pneumoniae [M. pneumoniae] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.1	Klebsiella pneumoniae [K. pneumoniae] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.20	Unspecified Escherichia coli [E. coli] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.21	Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] O157 as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.22	Other specified Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.23	Unspecified Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.29	Other Escherichia coli [E. coli] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.3	Hemophilus influenzae [H. influenzae] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.4	Proteus (mirabilis) (morganii) as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.5	Pseudomonas (aeruginosa) (mallei) (pseudomallei) as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.6	Bacteroides fragilis [B. fragilis] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.7	Clostridium perfringens [C. perfringens] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.81	Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.82	Vibrio vulnificus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.83	Acinetobacter baumannii as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.89	Other specified bacterial agents as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere

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

An adult presents to the emergency department with acute onset high fever, productive cough, pleuritic chest pain and lobar consolidation on chest X‑ray after a rapid deterioration over 24 hours; sputum culture and PCR identify Streptococcus pneumoniae as the causative organism of the pneumonia, so a code from this group is assigned to indicate the bacterial agent responsible for the disease classified elsewhere. Typical codes: B96.0, B96.3
A pediatric patient with a history of recurrent otitis media is seen in ENT clinic for persistent middle ear effusion despite multiple courses of antibiotics; tympanocentesis culture grows Haemophilus influenzae, so the clinician documents the bacterial agent causing the chronic or recurrent disease to guide ongoing management and coding. Typical codes: B96.4, B96.20
An inpatient who underwent abdominal surgery develops a postoperative intra‑abdominal abscess with fever and leukocytosis; fluid culture returns positive for Escherichia coli and Enterococcus species, and sepsis workup attributes the systemic infection to these organisms, prompting assignment of an organism-specific code from this group to identify the bacteria causing the complication. Typical codes: B96.5, B96.6

ICD-10-CM Code For Streptococcus Staphylococcus And Enterococcus As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

B97-VIRAL-AGENTS-AS-CAUSE

ICD-10-CM Code For Viral Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: 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.

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When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

16 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
B96.0	Mycoplasma pneumoniae [M. pneumoniae] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.1	Klebsiella pneumoniae [K. pneumoniae] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.20	Unspecified Escherichia coli [E. coli] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.21	Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] O157 as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.22	Other specified Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.23	Unspecified Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.29	Other Escherichia coli [E. coli] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.3	Hemophilus influenzae [H. influenzae] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.4	Proteus (mirabilis) (morganii) as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.5	Pseudomonas (aeruginosa) (mallei) (pseudomallei) as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.6	Bacteroides fragilis [B. fragilis] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.7	Clostridium perfringens [C. perfringens] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.81	Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.82	Vibrio vulnificus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.83	Acinetobacter baumannii as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere
B96.89	Other specified bacterial agents as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere

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

An adult presents to the emergency department with acute onset high fever, productive cough, pleuritic chest pain and lobar consolidation on chest X‑ray after a rapid deterioration over 24 hours; sputum culture and PCR identify Streptococcus pneumoniae as the causative organism of the pneumonia, so a code from this group is assigned to indicate the bacterial agent responsible for the disease classified elsewhere. Typical codes: B96.0, B96.3
A pediatric patient with a history of recurrent otitis media is seen in ENT clinic for persistent middle ear effusion despite multiple courses of antibiotics; tympanocentesis culture grows Haemophilus influenzae, so the clinician documents the bacterial agent causing the chronic or recurrent disease to guide ongoing management and coding. Typical codes: B96.4, B96.20
An inpatient who underwent abdominal surgery develops a postoperative intra‑abdominal abscess with fever and leukocytosis; fluid culture returns positive for Escherichia coli and Enterococcus species, and sepsis workup attributes the systemic infection to these organisms, prompting assignment of an organism-specific code from this group to identify the bacteria causing the complication. Typical codes: B96.5, B96.6

ICD-10-CM Code For Streptococcus Staphylococcus And Enterococcus As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

B97-VIRAL-AGENTS-AS-CAUSE

ICD-10-CM Code For Viral Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: 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 Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

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ICD-10-CM B96: Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

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ICD-10-CM B96: Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM B96: Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM B96: Other Bacterial Agents As The Cause Of Diseases Classified Elsewhere Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

When should a `B96` code be reported alongside another diagnosis code?

Which specific organisms are included in the `B96` code group?

How does accurate use of `B96` codes affect reimbursement?

What related DRGs might be impacted by coding a `B96` organism?

Are there codes for specific strains of `E. coli` within `B96`?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

When should a `B96` code be reported alongside another diagnosis code?

Which specific organisms are included in the `B96` code group?

How does accurate use of `B96` codes affect reimbursement?

What related DRGs might be impacted by coding a `B96` organism?

Are there codes for specific strains of `E. coli` within `B96`?

References