In simple words: This code indicates that a disease, diagnosed with another code, is caused by a type of E. coli bacteria that isn't specified.E. coli are tiny living things, only visible with a microscope, that can sometimes cause illness.

Unspecified Escherichia coli [E. coli] as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere. This code is used as a supplementary code to identify E. coli as the cause of a disease classified elsewhere. It should not be used as the primary diagnosis.

Example 1: A patient presents with urinary tract infection confirmed to be caused by E. coli. The primary diagnosis would be the UTI code (e.g., N39.0), with B96.20 as a secondary code., A patient is diagnosed with sepsis due to E. coli.The sepsis code (e.g., A41.9) would be the primary code, with B96.20 as a secondary code., A patient has gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by an unspecified E. coli.The gastroenteritis code (e.g., A09) is primary, and B96.20 is secondary.

Documentation should support both the diagnosed disease and the identification of E. coli as the causative organism. This may include laboratory results, microbiology reports, and clinical findings.

** This code is only for use when the specific type of E. coli is not identified. More specific codes exist (B96.21, B96.22, B96.23, B96.29) for different types of E. coli.