Methicillin suscep staph infct causing dis classd elswhr

This code identifies an infection caused by Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) that is the underlying etiology of a condition classified in another chapter of ICD-10-CM. It signifies that MSSA is the primary pathogen responsible for a disease process, such as pneumonia, endocarditis, or osteomyelitis, which would be coded separately.

Apply this code when documentation explicitly states an infection is due to MSSA and this MSSA infection is the root cause of another specified disease. This typically requires laboratory confirmation of MSSA and a physician's clear statement linking the MSSA to the patient's primary diagnosis.

• Always sequence this code after the code for the specific disease caused by the MSSA infection (e.g., pneumonia, cellulitis).
• Do not use this code for colonization or asymptomatic carriage of MSSA; it must be an active infection causing a disease.
• Differentiate carefully from Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, which have distinct codes.