P36 ICD-10-CM Code: Bacterial sepsis of newborn

P36 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for bacterial sepsis of newborn. P36 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (p00-p96), within the section covering infections specific to the perinatal period (p35-p39).

Header codes like P36 cannot be reported on claims directly, they organize child codes that share clinical context but the actual diagnosis must be coded to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation. Coders should look at P36's child codes and select the one that matches the patient's documented presentation, since payers reject header codes submitted as the primary diagnosis. For risk adjustment workflows, header codes never contribute to a Medicare Advantage member's RAF score on their own; only billable child codes that happen to map to a payment HCC affect risk-adjusted plan payments.