Is J38.0 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

No. J38.0 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.

Where does J38.0 sit in the tabular list?

Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Other diseases of upper respiratory tract (J30-J39).

What cannot be coded together with J38.0?

J38.0 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 J38.0 (J38) and apply to it just the same.

J38.0

J38.0 — Paralysis of vocal cords and larynx

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

J38.0 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for paralysis of vocal cords and larynx. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.

Inclusion terms

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

Laryngoplegia
Paralysis of glottis

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above J38.0

These are not written on J38.0, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing J38.0 with anything listed here is a denial.

Written on J38 — Diseases of vocal cords and larynx, not elsewhere classified

congenital laryngeal stridor (P28.89)
obstructive laryngitis (acute) (J05.0)
postprocedural subglottic stenosis (J95.5)
stridor (R06.1)
ulcerative laryngitis (J04.0)

Risk adjustment

J38.0 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

J38.0 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 J38.0

3 child codes. Green means billable.

Related codes at this level

Codes that share J38. If J38.0 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.

Questions about J38.0

Is J38.0 a billable ICD-10-CM code?: No. J38.0 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
Where does J38.0 sit in the tabular list?: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Other diseases of upper respiratory tract (J30-J39).
What cannot be coded together with J38.0?: J38.0 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 J38.0 (J38) and apply to it just the same.