ICD-10-CM R65.21 is the diagnosis code for Severe sepsis with septic shock. This code falls under the section "General symptoms and signs" within Chapter 18 — Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99). It is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. Medical coders and healthcare providers use this code to document and classify diagnoses in electronic health records, insurance claims, and clinical databases.
The following conditions should never be coded at the same time as R65.21. They are mutually exclusive:
Understanding where R65.21 sits in the ICD-10-CM classification helps ensure proper coding:
Yes, R65.21 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.
R65.21 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for "Severe sepsis with septic shock". It is used by healthcare providers to classify and document this condition in medical records and insurance claims.
The parent code of R65.21 is R65.2 ("Severe sepsis"). R65.21 provides a more specific classification within this category.
R65.21 is located in Section R50-R69 — "General symptoms and signs" within Chapter 18 of the ICD-10-CM Tabular List.
Use R65.21 when the patients documented diagnosis matches "Severe sepsis with septic shock" and the clinical documentation supports this level of specificity. Always verify with the latest ICD-10-CM guidelines and payer requirements.
The ICD-10-CM code for Severe sepsis with septic shock is R65.21.
Yes, R65.21 can be used as a primary diagnosis code since it is billable and specific.
R65.21 is in Chapter 18 of the ICD-10-CM Tabular List.
Type 1 Excludes for R65.21 include: postprocedural septic shock (T81.12-).
Yes, R65.21 is a valid ICD-10-CM code for the 2026 fiscal year, subject to official CMS updates.