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Coding MRSA
MRSA is any strain of Staphylococcus aureus that has developed a resistance to antibiotics. It is a difficult infection to treat. Our ICD-10-CM guidelines layout coding MRSA under different circumstances. There are combination codes that report the infection and the causal agent. For example, a patient with pneumonia due to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is reported with combination code J15.212. If there is not a combination code, report a code for the condition and B95.62 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere. Do not assign Z16.11, Resistance to penicillin, as an additional diagnosis.
If the patient is a carrier of MRSA and does not have an active infection, report code Z22.322 Carrier or suspected carrier of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A personal history of MRSA, with no mention of colonization, should be reported with Z86.14.