J03.9
J03.9: Acute tonsillitis, unspecified
Non-billable headerICD-10-CM
J03.9 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for acute tonsillitis, unspecified. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.
Excludes1: never code together
These conditions cannot occur together. Billing both on the same encounter is a denial.
Inclusion terms
Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.
- Follicular tonsillitis (acute)
- Gangrenous tonsillitis (acute)
- Infective tonsillitis (acute)
- Tonsillitis (acute) NOS
- Ulcerative tonsillitis (acute)
Excludes1 inherited from the categories above J03.9
A category’s note binds every code beneath it.
Excludes2 inherited from the categories above J03.9
Not part of this code, but both may be coded when both are present.
Other codes that can never be billed with J03.9
Their own Excludes1 notes name this code, so the conflict is not listed above.
- J36Peritonsillar abscess
Risk adjustment
No CMS-HCC V28 category: this code does not change a RAF score.
Code history
Unchanged in every release from FY2024 to FY2027.
Code to one of these instead J03.9
2 child codes. Green means billable.