B50 — Plasmodium falciparum malaria
Is B50 billable?
No — B50 is a non-billable header code. B50 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 3 billable codes beneath B50.
B50 at a glance
| Code | B50 |
|---|---|
| Description | Plasmodium falciparum malaria |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Includes
Conditions classified to B50.
- mixed infections of Plasmodium falciparum with any other Plasmodium species
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from B50-B64
The conditions below can never be reported together with B50 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 1
Report an additional code alongside B50 to fully describe the condition. B50 is sequenced first.
- code to identify resistance to antimicrobial drugs (Z16.-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 1
The conditions below are not part of B50, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, B50 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- carrier or suspected carrier of infectious disease (Z22.-)
- certain localized infections - see body system-related chapters
- infectious and parasitic diseases complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O98.-)
- infectious and parasitic diseases specific to the perinatal period (P35-P39)
- influenza and other acute respiratory infections (J00-J22)
What codes fall under B50? (3)
How long has B50 existed?
B50 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with B50?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with B50 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.