B17.10

Billable

Acute hepatitis C without hepatic coma

HCC Category Mapping

RxHCCHCC 55 — Acute Viral Hepatitis C

0.000

What This Code Means

A sudden hepatitis C infection without severe liver failure (hepatic coma), typically presenting with inflammation of the liver.

Coding Tips

•Use this code only for acute hepatitis C cases without hepatic encephalopathy or coma
•If hepatic coma is present, this code is not appropriate; look for alternative coding

Clinical Significance

Acute hepatitis C without hepatic coma represents a newly acquired hepatitis C infection before it progresses to chronic disease. Only 20-30% of acute hepatitis C cases are symptomatic, making documentation of the acute phase clinically important. Approximately 75-85% of acute cases progress to chronic hepatitis C without treatment.

Documentation Requirements

✓Evidence of new infection: seroconversion (negative to positive anti-HCV), or documented exposure within prior 6 months
✓Hepatitis C RNA (viral load) positive with recent onset
✓Liver function tests: elevated ALT/AST with timeline
✓Symptoms documented if present: jaundice, fatigue, nausea, dark urine
✓Absence of hepatic coma or hepatic encephalopathy explicitly documented

Commonly Confused Codes

B18.2 (Chronic viral hepatitis C) — Chronic infection persisting beyond 6 months; acute is the initial infection phase B17.11 (Acute hepatitis C with hepatic coma) — Same acute infection but with hepatic coma present; B17.10 requires absence of coma B19.20 (Unspecified viral hepatitis C without hepatic coma) — Use when acute vs. chronic status is unknown; B17.10 requires documented acute phase

Code Hierarchy

└B17Other acute viral hepatitis └B17.1Acute hepatitis C └B17.10Acute hepatitis C without hepatic coma

└B17.10Acute hepatitis C without hepatic coma