Skip to main content

A39.50 vs I52

A39.50 (Meningococcal carditis, unspecified) compared with I52 (Other heart disorders in diseases classified elsewhere), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. I52 carries an Excludes1 note covering A39.50: “meningococcal infection (A39.50)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

A39.50Meningococcal carditis, unspecifiedI52Other heart disorders in diseases classified elsewhere
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationA00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)I00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99)
DefinitionMeningococcal carditis, unspecified is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (A39.50).Other heart disorders in diseases classified elsewhere is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (I52).
Code first
underlying disease, such as:
congenital syphilis (A50.5)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources