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).

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.

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

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).