A49.9 vs R78.81
A49.9 (Bacterial infection, unspecified) compared with R78.81 (Bacteremia), 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. A49.9 carries an Excludes1 note covering R78.81: “bacteremia NOS (R78.81)”
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
| A49.9Bacterial infection, unspecified | R78.81Bacteremia | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99) | R00-R99 — Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings, Not Elsewhere Classified (R00-R99) |
| Definition | Bacterial infection, unspecified is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (A49.9). | Bacteremia is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (R78.81). |
| Use additional code | — | code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-) |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources