Is J04.1 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

No. J04.1 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.

Where does J04.1 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Acute upper respiratory infections (J00-J06).

What cannot be coded together with J04.1?

J04.1 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above J04.1 (J04) and apply to it just the same.

J04.1

J04.1 — Acute tracheitis

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

J04.1 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for acute tracheitis. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.

Excludes2 — not included here, but may coexist

The excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient can have both. You may code both.

chronic tracheitis (J42)

Inclusion terms

Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.

Acute viral tracheitis
Catarrhal tracheitis (acute)
Tracheitis (acute) NOS

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above J04.1

These are not written on J04.1, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing J04.1 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on J04 — Acute laryngitis and tracheitis

acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis (J05.-)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above J04.1

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of J04.1, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on J04 — Acute laryngitis and tracheitis

laryngismus (stridulus) (J38.5)

Risk adjustment

J04.1 does not map to an HCC and does not risk-adjust under CMS-HCC V28. That is normal — most ICD-10 codes do not. It still needs to be coded correctly; it just will not move a RAF score.

Code history

J04.1 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.

Code to one of these instead J04.1

2 child codes. Green means billable.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share J04. If J04.1 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about J04.1

Is J04.1 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: No. J04.1 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
Where does J04.1 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Acute upper respiratory infections (J00-J06).
What cannot be coded together with J04.1?: J04.1 carries Excludes1 notes, which means the conditions they list can never be coded together with it on the same encounter. Some are written on the categories above J04.1 (J04) and apply to it just the same.