A38.0 — Scarlet fever with otitis media
A38.0 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for scarlet fever with otitis media. It is valid for submission on a claim.
Other codes that can never be billed with A38.0
These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at A38.0. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading A38.0 alone.
- H67Otitis media in diseases classified elsewhere
Risk adjustment
A38.0 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.
How A38.0 is indexed
Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to A38.0.
- Scarlatina›otitis media
- Otitis›media›in›scarlet fever
- Otitis›media›acute, subacute›necrotizing›in›scarlet fever
Related codes at this level
Codes that share A38. If A38.0 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
Questions about A38.0
- Is A38.0 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- Yes. A38.0 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
- Where does A38.0 sit in the tabular list?
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99), in the block Other bacterial diseases (A30-A49).