J38.4 — Edema of larynx
J38.4 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for edema of larynx. It is valid for submission on a claim.
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.
- Edema (of) glottis
- Subglottic edema
- Supraglottic edema
Other codes that can never be billed with J38.4
These codes carry an Excludes1 note pointing at J38.4. The conflict binds both ways, but ICD-10-CM only writes it down on one side — so you would not find this by reading J38.4 alone.
- R60Edema, not elsewhere classified
Risk adjustment
J38.4 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
J38.4 is named in 5 Medicare coverage policies — 5 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
- A56559Billing and Coding: Allergy Skin Testing
- A56717Billing and Coding: Respiratory Therapy (Respiratory Care)
- A56868Billing and Coding: Outpatient Speech Language Pathology
How J38.4 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 J38.4.
- Edema, edematous›glottis, glottic, glottidis(obstructive) (passive)
Related codes at this level
Codes that share J38. If J38.4 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
Questions about J38.4
- Is J38.4 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- Yes. J38.4 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code and is valid for submission on a claim.
- Where does J38.4 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 J38.4?
- J38.4 carries an Excludes1 note, which means the conditions it lists can never be coded together with it on the same encounter.