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ICD-10 Code A04.7: Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile

A04.7 is an ICD-10 diagnosis entry used to group records related to Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile. You may see this entry in coding references, medical records, or claims workflows when a broader diagnosis category is being reviewed before a more specific code is chosen. ICD-10 entries help standardize how diagnoses are organized for coding, reporting, analytics, and documentation. This code sits within the broader ICD-10 area for Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).

What is this code?

ICD-10 entries help standardize how diagnoses are organized for coding, reporting, analytics, and documentation. This code sits within the broader ICD-10 area for Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).

đź“‹Clinical overview

This ICD-10 code is commonly used when documentation describes a bacterial intestinal infection. The most accurate code depends on whether the chart identifies a specific E. coli subtype, Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica, Clostridium difficile, another specified bacterial intestinal pathogen, or a fully unspecified bacterial intestinal infection, and for C. diff whether recurrence is documented.

When is it used?

  • May be used when a clinician documents enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile in a patient's medical record.
  • May appear in hospital records, claims, referrals, and clinical documentation.
  • This code may act more like a grouping or parent code, so a more specific child code may be used in final documentation when available.

What it does not mean

  • A code alone does not explain severity, treatment plan, or outcome.
  • A medical code should not be treated as a substitute for a doctor's diagnosis or advice.
  • This entry may represent a broader category rather than the most specific billable code.

đź©şClinical context

When commonly used
  • Primary-care, urgent-care, emergency, gastroenterology, infectious-disease, inpatient, and follow-up documentation where acute infectious diarrhea, enteritis, or enterocolitis is part of the active assessment.
  • Coding and utilization-review workflows where stool-testing results, pathogen identification, or documented C. diff recurrence status change the final intestinal-infection code.
Common management context
  • Evaluation often includes symptom review for diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, dehydration, or bloody stool; stool culture or molecular-test review; fluid-status assessment; and antimicrobial or infection-control planning when indicated.
  • Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies the causative organism, distinguishes one E. coli subtype from another, or clarifies whether C. diff infection is recurrent.
  • Specialist context already linked on this page includes Infectious Disease Specialist, General Physician.

🔍Key distinctions

Important notes
  • This ICD-10 family captures bacterial intestinal infections and is distinct from viral, parasitic, or noninfectious gastrointestinal conditions because pathogen identification is the main specificity driver.
  • Subtype detail matters across this branch, especially for diarrheagenic E. coli patterns and for recurrent-versus-not-specified-as-recurrent C. diff infection.
  • C. diff enterocolitis is coded separately from E. coli, Campylobacter, Yersinia, and other bacterial intestinal-infection branches, and recurrence detail can make the final code more specific.
  • Documentation that describes bacterial intestinal infection is coded differently from viral gastroenteritis, parasitic intestinal infection, noninfectious colitis, or diarrhea without documented bacterial cause because organism detail drives final code selection.
Related codes to consider
A04.71Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile, recurrent
Related bacterial-intestinal-infection ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the organism, names a diarrheagenic E. coli subtype, or clarifies C. diff recurrence status.
A04.72Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile, not specified as recurrent
Related bacterial-intestinal-infection ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the organism, names a diarrheagenic E. coli subtype, or clarifies C. diff recurrence status.

Code hierarchy

chapter
1Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
block
A00-A09Intestinal infectious diseases
category
A04Other bacterial intestinal infections
currentA04

Official coding notes

Inclusion terms
  • Clostridioides difficile colitis
  • Foodborne intoxication by Clostridium difficile
  • Pseudomembraneous colitis

Where you may see this code

You may see this entry in coding references, medical records, or claims workflows when a broader diagnosis category is being reviewed before a more specific code is chosen.

Related specialists

Infectious Disease SpecialistGeneral Physician

Coding guidelines

Compatibility

Legacy code aligns to an official FY 2026 category. Frontend should resolve to the official category page and surface the billable child codes.
Legacy codes
A04.7
Replacement codes
A04.71 — Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile, recurrentA04.72 — Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile, not specified as recurrent

Common synonyms

Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile

Frequently asked questions

Code details

CodeA04.7
SystemICD10
Display nameEnterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile
ChapterCertain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
BlockIntestinal infectious diseases

Flags

BillableNo
Valid clinical useNo

Source

SourceICD-10
Version2026-annual
Releaseannual
Year2026

About this content

This page is prepared by HealthAssure's clinical team using official coding standards from ICD-10. AI tools assist with drafting explanations, which are then reviewed and verified by healthcare professionals for accuracy. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. Meet our team.