Skip to main content

A50 vs P39.3

A50 (Congenital syphilis) compared with P39.3 (Neonatal urinary tract infection), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because P39.3 lists A50 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named, billing status and chapter.A50 is “Congenital syphilis”; P39.3 is “Neonatal urinary tract infection”. A50 is a non-billable header; P39.3 is billable. A50 sits in A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99); P39.3 in P00-P96 — Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period (P00-P96).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.P39.3 lists A50 under Excludes2: “congenital syphilis (A50.-)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. A50 carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.P39.3’s tabular entry: “congenital syphilis (A50.-)”. The note covers A50.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.A50 is a non-billable header, but P39.3 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

P39.3
Neonatal urinary tract infection
↔
A50
Congenital syphilis

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.P39.3 carries an Excludes2 note covering A50: “congenital syphilis (A50.-)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
A50

Congenital syphilis

P39.3

Neonatal urinary tract infection

StatusDiffers
A50
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: A50.01, A50.02, A50.03, A50.04, A50.05

P39.3
Billable
Excludes1Differs
A50
  • nonspecific and nongonococcal urethritis (N34.1)
  • Reiter's disease (M02.3-)
P39.3

None at this code

Excludes2Differs
A50
  • human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease (B20)
P39.3
  • asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection status (Z21)
  • congenital gonococcal infection (A54.-)
  • congenital pneumonia (P23.-)
  • congenital syphilis (A50.-)
  • human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease (B20)
  • infant botulism (A48.51)
  • infectious diseases not specific to the perinatal period (A00-B99, J09, J10.-)
  • intestinal infectious disease (A00-A09)
  • laboratory evidence of human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] (R75)
  • tetanus neonatorum (A33)
Use additional codeDiffers
A50

None at this code

P39.3
  • code to identify organism or specific infection
CategoryDiffers
A50

Is itself a category

P39.3

P39 Other infections specific to the perinatal period

ChapterDiffers
A50

A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)

P39.3

P00-P96 — Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period (P00-P96)

No Code first, Code also, Includes and 7th character note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, notes every code shares are dimmed.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources