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A36.0 ICD-10-CM Code: Pharyngeal diphtheria

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
2 inclusion terms

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v43, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 011 — TRACHEOSTOMY FOR FACE, MOUTH AND NECK DIAGNOSES OR LARYNGECTOMY WITH MCC (MDC PRE)
  • MS-DRG 012 — TRACHEOSTOMY FOR FACE, MOUTH AND NECK DIAGNOSES OR LARYNGECTOMY WITH CC (MDC PRE)
  • MS-DRG 013 — TRACHEOSTOMY FOR FACE, MOUTH AND NECK DIAGNOSES OR LARYNGECTOMY WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC PRE)
  • MS-DRG 154 — OTHER EAR, NOSE, MOUTH AND THROAT DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 03)
  • MS-DRG 155 — OTHER EAR, NOSE, MOUTH AND THROAT DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 03)
  • MS-DRG 156 — OTHER EAR, NOSE, MOUTH AND THROAT DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 03)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for A36.0 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • Diphtheritic membranous angina
  • Tonsillar diphtheria

Code Overview

Pharyngeal diphtheria is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (A36.0).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Indexed Clinical Terms (19)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.

Verify Before Coding

  • CC as a secondary diagnosis (FY2026). Can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name A36.0 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 1 Excludes1 note: J03.8 — Acute tonsillitis due to other specified organisms.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2026)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2026 MS-DRG: CC — Complication or Comorbidity. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, this code raises the stay's MS-DRG severity tier — except when the principal diagnosis is one of 12 clinically related codes on its CMS exclusion list.

Named in the grouper logic of 6 MS-DRGs: DRG 011 (MDC PRE), DRG 012 (MDC PRE), DRG 013 (MDC PRE), DRG 154 (MDC 03), DRG 155 (MDC 03), DRG 156 (MDC 03).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):RSP006 — Other specified upper respiratory infections (default); INF003 — Bacterial infections.

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical process (MS-DRG)

Acts as CC — raises the severity of other admissions. CMS groups these diagnoses into one MS-DRG principal-diagnosis exclusion process — a CC/MCC on this list never raises severity when the principal diagnosis is also on it.

A36.1 — Nasopharyngeal diphtheria, A36.2 — Laryngeal diphtheria, A36.3 — Cutaneous diphtheria, A36.81 — Diphtheritic cardiomyopathy, A36.82 — Diphtheritic radiculomyelitis, A36.83 — Diphtheritic polyneuritis, A36.84 — Diphtheritic tubulo-interstitial nephropathy, A36.85 — Diphtheritic cystitis, A36.86 — Diphtheritic conjunctivitis, A36.89 — Other diphtheritic complications, A36.9 — Diphtheria, unspecified

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical categories (Other specified upper respiratory infections, Bacterial infections).

A15.5 — Tuberculosis of larynx, trachea and bronchus, A36.1 — Nasopharyngeal diphtheria, A36.2 — Laryngeal diphtheria, A50.03 — Early congenital syphilitic pharyngitis, A52.73 — Symptomatic late syphilis of other respiratory organs, A54.5 — Gonococcal pharyngitis, A56.4 — Chlamydial infection of pharynx, B00.2 — Herpesviral gingivostomatitis and pharyngotonsillitis, B08.5 — Enteroviral vesicular pharyngitis, J00 — Acute nasopharyngitis [common cold], J02.0 — Streptococcal pharyngitis, J02.8 — Acute pharyngitis due to other specified organisms, J02.9 — Acute pharyngitis, unspecified, J04.0 — Acute laryngitis, J04.10 — Acute tracheitis without obstruction, J04.11 — Acute tracheitis with obstruction, J04.2 — Acute laryngotracheitis, J04.30 — Supraglottitis, unspecified, without obstruction, J04.31 — Supraglottitis, unspecified, with obstruction, J05.0 — Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup], +402 more

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Gangrene, gangrenous”, “Pharyngitis”, “Paralysis, paralytic”, …; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

A15.8 — Other respiratory tuberculosis (tuberculous), A48.0 — Gas gangrene (gas), A50.03 — Early congenital syphilitic pharyngitis (syphilitic, congenital), A50.45 — Juvenile general paresis (juvenile general), A52.15 — Late syphilitic neuropathy (nerve, syphilitic), A52.17 — General paresis (general), A54.5 — Gonococcal pharyngitis (gonococcal), A56.4 — Chlamydial infection of pharynx (chlamydial), A57 — Chancroid (soft), A69.0 — Necrotizing ulcerative stomatitis (mouth), A69.1 — Other Vincent's infections (Vincent's), A69.8 — Other specified spirochetal infections (spirochetal NEC), A80.30 — Acute paralytic poliomyelitis, unspecified (infantile), B00.2 — Herpesviral gingivostomatitis and pharyngotonsillitis (herpesviral), B08.5 — Enteroviral vesicular pharyngitis (aphthous), B08.8 — Other specified viral infections characterized by skin and mucous membrane lesions (lymphonodular, acute), B55.1 — Cutaneous leishmaniasis (Delhi), D86.89 — Sarcoidosis of other sites (uveoparotitic), E07.89 — Other specified disorders of thyroid (thyroid), F44.4 — Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit (hysterical), +149 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of A36.0 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run A36.0 with this related code in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Clinical classification (CCSR)

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • Pre-MDC[MDC crossing]: “Pre-MDC — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 153 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026
  • MDC 03 — Diseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 5,147 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026

Index entries (19)

  • Angina (attack) (cardiac) (chest) (heart) (pectoris) (syndrome) (vasomotor), diphtheritic, membranous[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Angina (attack) (cardiac) (chest) (heart) (pectoris) (syndrome) (vasomotor), gangrenous diphtheritic[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Angina (attack) (cardiac) (chest) (heart) (pectoris) (syndrome) (vasomotor), malignant diphtheritic[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Angina (attack) (cardiac) (chest) (heart) (pectoris) (syndrome) (vasomotor), membranous, diphtheritic[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Angina (attack) (cardiac) (chest) (heart) (pectoris) (syndrome) (vasomotor), phlegmonous, diphtheritic[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Angina (attack) (cardiac) (chest) (heart) (pectoris) (syndrome) (vasomotor), pultaceous, diphtheritic[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Bretonneau's disease or angina[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Diphtheria, diphtheritic (gangrenous) (hemorrhagic), faucial[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • and 11 more

Nearest codes (13)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v43 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "A36.0 — Pharyngeal diphtheria." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/a36.0-pharyngeal-diphtheria

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Pharyngeal diphtheria

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to A36.0 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the A36 family