B18.2 Chronic viral hepatitis C

The ICD-10-CM code for Chronic viral hepatitis C is B18.2 (FY2026). It is a billable, claim-ready diagnosis code.

Classification

Chapter

1: Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)

Section

B15-B19: Viral hepatitis (B15-B19)

Category B18

6 codes (5 billable)

FY2026 Status

Stable since FY2024

Also Known As

ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index entries that lead to B18.2:

• Carrier (suspected) of › hepatitis (viral) › C
• Hepatitis › C (viral) › chronic
• Hepatitis › viral, virus › type › C › chronic
• Hepatitis › viral, virus › chronic › type › C

Inclusion Terms

• Carrier of viral hepatitis C

U.S. Hospital Utilization

• An estimated 165,025 U.S. inpatient stays in 2023 included B18.2 among the documented diagnoses.
• 350 stays listed it as the principal diagnosis.

Source: National Inpatient Sample (NIS), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2016–2023. National survey-weighted estimates.

Prevalence & Statistics

• During January 2017–March 2020, an estimated 2.2 million U.S. adults aged 18 and older (0.9%) had current hepatitis C virus infection. (CDC MMWR QuickStats (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, January 2017–March 2020), 2017-2020)

Official Coding Guidelines

HIV Infections (TOC entry)

a. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections .............................................................. 19

Infectious agents causing diseases in other chapters (TOC)

b. Infectious agents as the cause of diseases classified to other chapters ................................. 22

Source: CMS — ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY2026

References

• CMS — ICD-10-CM Official Code Set and Guidelines, FY2026
• CDC/NCHS — ICD-10-CM Files and Browser Tool
• AHRQ — HCUP National Inpatient Sample, Frequencies by Diagnosis Code (2016–2023)
• CDC MMWR QuickStats (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, January 2017–March 2020) (2017-2020)

Cite This Page

Reference B18.2 with the canonical source and edition:

B18.2 — Chronic viral hepatitis C. ICD-10 Coding Pro (ICD-10-CM FY2026). https://icd10codingpro.com/codes/B18.2

Canonical URL: https://icd10codingpro.com/codes/B18.2