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Compare/B50 vs B52

B50 vs B52

B50 (Plasmodium falciparum malaria) compared with B52 (Plasmodium malariae malaria), 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. B52 carries an Excludes1 note covering B50: “Plasmodium falciparum (B50.-)”

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

B50Plasmodium falciparum malariaB52Plasmodium malariae malaria
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: B50.0, B50.8, B50.9

Non-billable header

Report instead: B52.0, B52.8, B52.9

ClassificationA00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)
DefinitionPlasmodium falciparum malaria is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (B50).Plasmodium malariae malaria is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (B52).
Includes
mixed infections of Plasmodium falciparum with any other Plasmodium species
mixed infections of Plasmodium malariae with other Plasmodium species, except Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax

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