ICD10BillableValid for clinical use
ICD-10 Code A54.86: Gonococcal sepsis
Reviewed by HealthAssure Clinical TeamUpdated 26 May 2026
What is this code?
ICD-10 codes are diagnosis classification codes used in healthcare records, reporting, coding workflows, and billing support. 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 gonococcal infection. The most accurate code depends on whether the documented gonococcal disease involves the lower or upper genitourinary tract, eye, musculoskeletal tissue, anus or rectum, heart, bloodstream, or another specified site.
When is it used?
- May be used when a clinician documents gonococcal sepsis in a patient's medical record.
- May appear in hospital records, claims, referrals, and clinical documentation.
- This code can be used as a clinically usable diagnosis entry in standardized coding workflows.
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.
đź©şClinical context
When commonly used
- Primary-care, urgent-care, emergency, infectious-disease, sexual-health, and follow-up documentation where gonococcal infection affects diagnosis, treatment planning, or partner-management counseling.
- Coding and utilization-review workflows where the chart identifies the exact gonococcal disease site or a more invasive manifestation such as cardiac involvement or sepsis.
Common management context
- Gonococcal infection follow-up often includes symptom review, specimen testing context, antimicrobial treatment planning, partner-management counseling, and screening for coinfections or complications.
- Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies the exact anatomic site, localized versus disseminated disease, abscess formation, ocular or musculoskeletal involvement, or systemic infection.
- Specialist context already linked on this page includes Infectious Disease Specialist, General Physician.
🔍Key distinctions
Important notes
- This ICD-10 family captures gonococcal infection across multiple anatomic sites, and the documented site or invasive manifestation is what usually drives final code specificity.
- Localized genitourinary disease, ocular disease, musculoskeletal disease, anorectal disease, cardiac involvement, sepsis, and unspecified gonococcal infection are coded separately from one another when the chart names the manifestation more clearly.
- Gonococcal sepsis is coded separately from localized gonococcal infection because the chart documents systemic bloodstream infection.
- Documentation that describes gonococcal infection is coded differently from chlamydial infection, nongonococcal urethritis, or other sexually transmitted infections when the organism or site is documented more clearly.
Related codes to consider
A54.81Gonococcal meningitis
Related gonococcal ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies lower-genitourinary, ocular, musculoskeletal, anorectal, cardiac, septic, or other disseminated involvement.
A54.82Gonococcal brain abscess
Related gonococcal ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies lower-genitourinary, ocular, musculoskeletal, anorectal, cardiac, septic, or other disseminated involvement.
A54.83Gonococcal heart infection
Related gonococcal ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies lower-genitourinary, ocular, musculoskeletal, anorectal, cardiac, septic, or other disseminated involvement.
A54.84Gonococcal pneumonia
Related gonococcal ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies lower-genitourinary, ocular, musculoskeletal, anorectal, cardiac, septic, or other disseminated involvement.
Code hierarchy
chapter
1Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
block
A50-A64Infections with a predominantly sexual mode of transmission
category
A54Gonococcal infection
category
A54.8Other gonococcal infections
currentA54.8
Where you may see this code
You may see this code in hospital records, discharge summaries, insurance claims, encounter documentation, referrals, or other healthcare billing and coding records.
Related specialists
Infectious Disease SpecialistGeneral Physician
Related codes
Sibling codes
Coverage-related procedures and services
CPT 87154high
CULTURE, TYPING; IDENTIFICATION OF BLOOD PATHOGEN AND RESISTANCE TYPING, WHEN PERFORMED, BY NUCLEIC ACID (DNA OR RNA) PROBE, MULTIPLEXED AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE INCLUDING MULTIPLEX REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION, WHEN PERFORMED, PER CULTURE OR ISOLATE, 6 OR MORE TARGETS
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 0142Uhigh
INFECTIOUS DISEASE (BACTERIA AND FUNGI), GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION AND DRUG RESISTANCE ELEMENT DETECTION, DNA (21 GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIAL TARGETS, 6 RESISTANCE GENES, 1 PAN GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIAL TARGET, 1 PAN CANDIDA TARGET), AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE, EACH TARGET REPORTED AS DETECTED OR NOT DETECTED
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 0141Uhigh
INFECTIOUS DISEASE (BACTERIA AND FUNGI), GRAM-POSITIVE ORGANISM IDENTIFICATION AND DRUG RESISTANCE ELEMENT DETECTION, DNA (20 GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIAL TARGETS, 4 RESISTANCE GENES, 1 PAN GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIAL TARGET, 1 PAN CANDIDA TARGET), BLOOD CULTURE, AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE, EACH TARGET REPORTED AS DETECTED OR NOT DETECTED
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 0140Uhigh
INFECTIOUS DISEASE (FUNGI), FUNGAL PATHOGEN IDENTIFICATION, DNA (15 FUNGAL TARGETS), BLOOD CULTURE, AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE, EACH TARGET REPORTED AS DETECTED OR NOT DETECTED
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 76376high
3D RENDERING WITH INTERPRETATION AND REPORTING OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, ULTRASOUND, OR OTHER TOMOGRAPHIC MODALITY WITH IMAGE POSTPROCESSING UNDER CONCURRENT SUPERVISION; NOT REQUIRING IMAGE POSTPROCESSING ON AN INDEPENDENT WORKSTATION
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 76377high
3D RENDERING WITH INTERPRETATION AND REPORTING OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, ULTRASOUND, OR OTHER TOMOGRAPHIC MODALITY WITH IMAGE POSTPROCESSING UNDER CONCURRENT SUPERVISION; REQUIRING IMAGE POSTPROCESSING ON AN INDEPENDENT WORKSTATION
Source: CMS coverage guidance
Coding guidelines
Common synonyms
Gonococcal sepsis
Frequently asked questions
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.