A38
A38 — Scarlet fever
Non-billable headerICD-10-CM
A38 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for scarlet fever. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.
Excludes2 — not included here, but may coexist
The excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient can have both. You may code both.
- streptococcal sore throat (J02.0)
Includes
Conditions this code covers.
- scarlatina
Other codes that can never be billed with A38
These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at A38. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading A38 alone.
- H67Otitis media in diseases classified elsewhere
Risk adjustment
A38 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.
Code to one of these instead A38
4 child codes. Green means billable.
Questions about A38
- Is A38 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- No. A38 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
- Where does A38 sit in the tabular list?
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99), in the block Other bacterial diseases (A30-A49).