T85.738 — Infection and inflammatory reaction due to other nervous system device, implant or graft
T85.738 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for infection and inflammatory reaction due to other nervous system device, implant or graft. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below. This code also requires a 7th character before it is complete.
This code requires a 7th character
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T85
- A
- initial encounter
- D
- subsequent encounter
- S
- sequela
Inclusion terms
Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.
- Infection and inflammatory reaction due to intrathecal infusion pump
Risk adjustment
T85.738 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 T85.738 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 T85.738.
- Complication›intrathecal infusion pump›infection and inflammation
- Complication›electronic stimulator device›nervous system›infection and inflammation
- Inflammation, inflamed, inflammatory›due to device, implant or graft›electronic›nervous system
- Sepsis›due to device, implant or graft›electronic›nervous system
- Complication›nervous system›device, implant or graft›specified NEC›infection and inflammation
- Infection, infected, infective›due to or resulting from›device, implant or graft›electronic›nervous system
Code to one of these instead T85.738
3 child codes. Green means billable.
- T85.738AInfection and inflammatory reaction due to other nervous system device, implant or graft, initial encounter
- T85.738DInfection and inflammatory reaction due to other nervous system device, implant or graft, subsequent encounter
- T85.738SInfection and inflammatory reaction due to other nervous system device, implant or graft, sequela
Related codes at this level
Codes that share T85.73. If T85.738 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
- T85.730Infection and inflammatory reaction due to ventricular intracranial (communicating) shunt
- T85.731Infection and inflammatory reaction due to implanted electronic neurostimulator of brain, electrode (lead)
- T85.732Infection and inflammatory reaction due to implanted electronic neurostimulator of peripheral nerve, electrode (lead)
- T85.733Infection and inflammatory reaction due to implanted electronic neurostimulator of spinal cord, electrode (lead)
- T85.734Infection and inflammatory reaction due to implanted electronic neurostimulator, generator
- T85.735Infection and inflammatory reaction due to cranial or spinal infusion catheter
Questions about T85.738
- Is T85.738 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- No. T85.738 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
- Where does T85.738 sit in the tabular list?
- Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88), in the block Complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified (T80-T88).