I40 ICD-10-CM Code: Acute myocarditis
Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.
Coding at a Glance
- Tabular directives
- 1 inclusion term · 1 Excludes1
Coding instructions
Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for I40 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.
Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025
Includes
Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.
- subacute myocarditis
Excludes1 — Not Coded Here
Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
- acute rheumatic myocarditis (I01.2) Compare I40 vs I01.2 →
Coder workflow for I40
MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record
Before you code I40
- I40 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).
ReviewI40.0, I40.1, I40.8, I40.9
See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →
- Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with I40. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
Choose the right path
- Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath I40?
Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
No → I40 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs. - Does the documentation support a condition named in I40’s Excludes1 note?
Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
No → Continue.ReviewI01.2
Consider I40. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.
Documentation check
- The provider’s diagnostic statement
- Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
- Acuity
- Acute or chronic as documented; when both are documented and separate codes exist, both are reported with the acute code first (Guidelines I.B.8).
Official instructions as workflow
Excludes1 — check before selecting I40(1 note)
Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with I40: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.
CompareI01.2
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a
Coding decision scenarios
Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases
Documentation: Both the condition I40 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.
Coding question: Can both codes be reported?
Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.
Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
ReviewI01.2
Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.
Code Overview
MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.
Verify Before Coding
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 I40 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: I51.4 — Myocarditis, unspecified.
These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.
Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: I5A — Non-ischemic myocardial injury (non-traumatic).
Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.
Referenced by 1 Code Also instruction: M35.81 — Multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
These codes suggest coding this condition alongside when both are present.
Contextual Map
Every relationship of I40 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 I40 with these 4 related codes in Claim Check
Hierarchy
- I00-I99 — Chapter 9: Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99) (I00-I99)[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I30-I5A — Other forms of heart disease[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
Excludes1
- I01.2 — Acute rheumatic myocarditis[Excludes1]: “acute rheumatic myocarditis (I01.2)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Excludes1 notes
- I51.4 — Myocarditis, unspecified[Excludes1]: “acute or subacute myocarditis (I40.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Code First instructions
- I5A — Non-ischemic myocardial injury (non-traumatic)[Code First]: “acute myocarditis (I40.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Referenced by Code Also instructions
- M35.81 — Multisystem inflammatory syndrome[Code Also]: “acute myocarditis (I40.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
Nearest codes
- I40.0 — Infective myocarditis[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I40.1 — Isolated myocarditis[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I40.8 — Other acute myocarditis[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
- I40.9 — Acute myocarditis, unspecified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2026
Change history
- FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016
Common coding questions
Can I40 be billed directly?
No. I40 (Acute myocarditis) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.
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
- 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. "I40 — Acute myocarditis." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/i40-acute-myocarditis
Change history
- FY2016 — October 1, 2015In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoptionAcute myocarditis
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 I40 in its code family, with their registry titles.