N39.0: Urinary tract infection, site not specified

The ICD-10-CM code for a urinary tract infection when the provider has documented the infection but has not specified the anatomic site: bladder, urethra or kidney.

Billable

FY2027

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Example H2

Medical scribe app interface showing a recording waveform, a list of patient notes, and a SOAP note for John Doe.

Stop looking up codes.

Scribe auto-generates them for you.

Try Commure Scribe →

At a glance

Code Family

N39, within block N30–N39, other diseases of the urinary system.

DRG Grouping

MS-DRG 689, kidney and urinary tract infections with MCC, or MS-DRG 690, kidney and urinary tract infections without MCC, in MDC 11 under the FY2027 MS-DRG v44 grouper.

HCC Mapping (v28)

None: N39.0 does not map to any HCC in CMS-HCC v28 or v24.

Condition

UTI

Family Specificity

Site-unspecified only: N39.0 is valid solely when the provider has not documented the site of infection, and Excludes1 notes bar it from being reported with a site-specific UTI code for the same infection.

Which N39 code do I assign?

N39.0 sits at the bottom of a site-specificity axis. When the provider names the anatomic site of the infection, a site-specific code from the genitourinary chapter is required instead, and the Excludes1 note at N39.0 bars reporting the two for the same infection.

When documentation says…

Code

Acute pyelonephritis or kidney infection documented

N10

Use for upper-tract infection when the provider documents pyelonephritis or infection of the kidney. N39.0 is not reported alongside it for the same infection.

Cystitis or bladder infection documented

N30.00-N30.91

Use for lower-tract bladder infection. The record must name cystitis or bladder involvement, and this code replaces N39.0 rather than supplementing it.

Urethritis documented

N34.1-N34.3

Use for lower-tract urethral infection. N39.0 carries an Excludes1 note for urethritis. Only one of the two is reported for the same infection.

Obstructed and infected kidney, pyonephrosis documented

N13.6

Use when the record documents an infected kidney with obstruction. N39.0 carries an Excludes1 note for pyonephrosis, and the two are not reported together for the same infection.

Candidal cystitis or urethritis documented

B37.41

Use when the causative organism is Candida and the record documents candidal cystitis or urethritis. N39.0 carries an Excludes1 note for candidiasis of the urinary tract. The fungal code is assigned instead.

Urinary tract infection documented, no site specified

N39.0

Use only when the record supports a clinical diagnosis of UTI and contains no site specification. A positive urinalysis or symptoms such as dysuria or frequency alone will not support it.

Tabular notes

USE ADDITIONAL

N39.0 instructs: use additional code (B95-B97) to identify the infectious agent. Examples include B96.20 for E. coli unspecified as the cause of disease classified elsewhere, B95.1 for Streptococcus agalactiae, B95.3 for Streptococcus pneumoniae, B95.61 for methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and B95.62 for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Report the applicable B95-B97 code as a secondary code when the organism is documented by the provider. The organism code always sequences after N39.0 and is never a principal diagnosis.

EXCLUDES1

N39.0 carries Excludes1 notes for candidiasis of the urinary tract (B37.4-), neonatal urinary tract infection (P39.3), pyuria (R82.81) and urinary tract infection of specified site, including cystitis (N30.-), pyonephrosis (N13.6) and urethritis (the N34 codes). These conditions are not coded with N39.0 for the same infection. When any of them is documented, that code is used instead.

EXCLUDES2

Category N39 carries Excludes2 notes for hematuria NOS (R31.-), recurrent or persistent hematuria (N02.-) and proteinuria NOS (the R80 codes). They are not forms of UTI but may coexist. N39.0 and the Excludes2 code may both be reported when each is independently documented.

SEPSIS SEQUENCING

When sepsis and a UTI are both present and sepsis is the reason for admission, Guideline I.C.1.d.4 sequences the sepsis code (A40.- or A41.-) first and N39.0 second. When the patient is admitted with the UTI and sepsis does not develop until after admission, N39.0 is sequenced first, followed by the sepsis code. If the patient has severe sepsis, a code from subcategory R65.2 is also assigned as a secondary diagnosis. The organism code is added per the use additional instruction. The term urosepsis is not synonymous with sepsis and has no default code. Guideline I.C.1.d.1.a.ii requires a provider query when it is documented.

FY2027: NO CHANGES

N39.0 was valid in the FY2026 code set and is unchanged in the FY2027 update. The FY2027 codes addenda add no code to category N39. The FY2027 tabular addenda change no note at N39.0, at category N39 or in the N30–N39 block.

Operational & financial impact

Why specificity matters beyond the chart: risk adjustment, DRG assignment and denial exposure all follow from which code is selected.

CMS-HCC v28 (PY2024+)

No HCC mapping applies. N39.0 does not map to any HCC in CMS-HCC v28. It did not map to any HCC in v24 either.

RISK ADJUSTMENT WHEN THE UTI IS COMPLICATED

If the UTI is complicated by sepsis, the sepsis code (A41.-) maps to HCC 2, Septicemia, Sepsis, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/Shock, under CMS-HCC v28. The sepsis code is sequenced first when sepsis is the reason for admission, per Guideline I.C.1.d.4. The risk-adjusted value of the encounter depends on the sepsis documentation rather than on N39.0.

MS-DRG ASSIGNMENT: FY2027 (V44)

Inpatient admissions with N39.0 as the principal diagnosis group to MS-DRG 689 or 690 in MDC 11 under the FY2027 MS-DRG v44 grouper. The pair is kidney and urinary tract infections with MCC (689) and without MCC (690). The tier is driven by the presence of an MCC from the full code set.

MEDICARE

N39.0 is a valid diagnosis code for Medicare Part A and Part B claims.

Documentation checklist to support N39.0

Chart elements that support code selection and reduce specificity-driven denials.

A provider diagnosis of urinary tract infection stated in the note: not merely dysuria, frequency, or a positive urinalysis without a clinical diagnosis.

Absence of any site specification in the record. If the provider documents cystitis, a kidney infection or urethritis, the site-specific code is assigned instead of N39.0.

Culture results identifying the causative organism, documented by the provider as clinically relevant to the UTI diagnosis, to support the additional B95-B97 code.

Documentation of whether the provider diagnoses sepsis and when the sepsis developed. Sepsis is sequenced first when it is the reason for admission, and N39.0 stays first when sepsis develops after admission (Guideline I.C.1.d.4). A note that says only urosepsis requires a provider query.

FAQ

Can N39.0 and N30.00 (cystitis) be coded on the same claim?

No. N39.0 carries an Excludes1 note for urinary tract infection of specified site, including cystitis (N30.-), urethritis (N34.-) and pyonephrosis (N13.6). Excludes1 means the two codes are not reported together for the same condition. Guideline I.A.12.a allows both only when the conditions are unrelated, which does not describe a single urinary tract infection. When cystitis is documented, assign a code from category N30 instead of N39.0.

Is an organism code required for N39.0 to be reportable?

No. N39.0 is a valid billable code without an accompanying organism code. The B95-B97 code is a use additional code. It should be added when the organism is documented, but N39.0 does not require it in order to be reported.

How is asymptomatic bacteriuria coded?

Asymptomatic bacteriuria is not coded as N39.0. Assign R82.71 for bacteriuria when bacteria are found on urinalysis without clinical signs of infection and the provider has not diagnosed a UTI.

Related codes

Codes in the same family as N39.0. Only codes with a published page render as links.

Sibling codes in the N39 family

N39.3: Stress incontinence (female) (male).
N39.41: Urge incontinence.
N39.42: Incontinence without sensory awareness.
N39.43: Post-void dribbling.
N39.44: Nocturnal enuresis.
N39.45: Continuous leakage.
N39.46: Mixed incontinence.
N39.490: Overflow incontinence.
N39.491: Coital incontinence.
N39.492: Postural (urinary) incontinence.
N39.498: Other specified urinary incontinence.
N39.8: Other specified disorders of urinary system.
N39.9: Disorder of urinary system, unspecified.

Additional codes to consider

Codes outside the N39 family considered alongside N39.0.

Companion: code alongside when documented

B96.20: Unspecified Escherichia coli [E. coli] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere, when the culture names E. coli without a more specific type.
B96.21: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] [STEC] O157 as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.
B95.1: Streptococcus, group B, as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.
B95.3: Streptococcus pneumoniae as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.
B95.61: Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infection as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.
B95.62: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.
B95.8: Unspecified staphylococcus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.

Consider instead

R82.71: Bacteriuria, when bacteria are found on urinalysis without a clinical UTI diagnosis.
N10: Acute pyelonephritis, upper tract infection, used instead of N39.0 when pyelonephritis is documented.
N30.00-N30.91: Cystitis, lower tract bladder infection, used instead of N39.0 when cystitis or bladder infection is documented.
N34.1-N34.3: Urethritis and urethral syndrome, used instead of N39.0 when urethritis is documented. N39.0 carries an Excludes1 note for urethritis.
N13.6: Pyonephrosis, used instead of N39.0 when an obstructed and infected kidney is documented. N39.0 carries an Excludes1 note for pyonephrosis.
B37.41: Candidal cystitis and urethritis, coded instead of N39.0 when candidal cystitis or urethritis is documented.
P39.3: Neonatal urinary tract infection.
R82.81: Pyuria.
A40–A41: Sepsis, sequenced first when sepsis is the reason for admission, and after N39.0 when sepsis develops after admission.

Sources

All claims on this page derive from government and professional-standards sources.

National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). International classification of diseases, tenth revision, clinical modification (ICD-10-CM) FY2027 files. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd-10-cm/files.html
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). ICD-10-CM official guidelines for coding and reporting FY2027. https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/ICD10CM/2027/ICD-10-CM-October-1-2026-FY27-Guidelines.pdf
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). 2026 model software/ICD-10 mappings. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/medicare-advantage-rates-statistics/risk-adjustment/2026-model-software-icd-10-mappings
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). MS-DRG classifications and software, version 44. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/ms-drg-classifications-and-software