Is J20.9 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes. J20.9 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.

Where does J20.9 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Other acute lower respiratory infections (J20-J22).

What cannot be coded together with J20.9?

J20.9 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 J20.9 (J20) and apply to it just the same.

J20.9

J20.9 — Acute bronchitis, unspecified

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CM

J20.9 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for acute bronchitis, unspecified. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above J20.9

These are not written on J20.9, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing J20.9 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on J20 — Acute bronchitis

bronchitis NOS (J40)
tracheobronchitis NOS (J40)

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above J20.9

Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of J20.9, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.

Written on J20 — Acute bronchitis

acute bronchitis with bronchiectasis (J47.0)
acute bronchitis with chronic obstructive asthma (J44.0)
acute bronchitis with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (J44.0)
allergic bronchitis NOS (J45.909)
bronchitis due to chemicals, fumes and vapors (J68.0)
chronic bronchitis NOS (J42)
chronic mucopurulent bronchitis (J41.1)
chronic obstructive bronchitis (J44.-)
chronic obstructive tracheobronchitis (J44.-)
chronic simple bronchitis (J41.0)
chronic tracheobronchitis (J42)

Other codes that can never be billed with J20.9

These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at J20.9. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading J20.9 alone.

J40Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic
J98.01Acute bronchospasm

Risk adjustment

J20.9 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.

Medicare coverage

J20.9 is named in 8 Medicare coverage policies — 8 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which of them applies to you depends on your Medicare contractor, and coverage genuinely differs by state.

A54111Billing and Coding: Speech Language Pathology (SLP) Services: Communication Disorders
A56717Billing and Coding: Respiratory Therapy (Respiratory Care)
A56730Billing and Coding: Respiratory Therapy and Oximetry Services
A57205Billing and Coding: Oximetry Services

How J20.9 is indexed

Coders do not find codes by browsing the tabular list — they look them up in the alphabetic index, under the word the physician wrote. These are the index entries that lead here, so you can see which chart wordings map to J20.9.

Bronchitis›acute or subacute(with bronchospasm or obstruction)
Bronchorrhea›acute
Croup, croupous›bronchial
Bronchitis›catarrhal›under l5 years of age
Bronchitis›mucopurulent›acute or subacute
Bronchitis›with›tracheitis›acute or subacute
Bronchitis›with›tracheitis›under l5 years of age
Tracheitis›with›bronchitis›under 15 years of age

Code history

J20.9 has not changed since FY2024 — no addition, revision or deletion across the three most recent ICD-10-CM releases.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share J20. If J20.9 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about J20.9

Is J20.9 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: Yes. J20.9 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
Where does J20.9 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Other acute lower respiratory infections (J20-J22).
What cannot be coded together with J20.9?: J20.9 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 J20.9 (J20) and apply to it just the same.