J39.1

J39.1: Other abscess of pharynx

Billable / specific codeICD-10-CM

J39.1 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM code for other abscess of pharynx. It is valid for submission on a claim.

Check J39.1 with the rest of the claim: free scrubber

Inclusion terms

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

Cellulitis of pharynx
Nasopharyngeal abscess

Excludes1 inherited from the categories above J39.1

A category’s note binds every code beneath it.

Written on J39: Other diseases of upper respiratory tract

acute respiratory infection NOS (J22)
acute upper respiratory infection (J06.9)
upper respiratory inflammation due to chemicals, gases, fumes or vapors (J68.2)

Other codes that can never be billed with J39.1

Their own Excludes1 notes name this code, so the conflict is not listed above.

J02Acute pharyngitis

Risk adjustment

No CMS-HCC V28 category: this code does not change a RAF score.

Medicare coverage

J39.1 is named in 2 Medicare coverage policies: 2 listing it as supporting medical necessity. Which one applies depends on your Medicare contractor.

A56729Billing and Coding: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Head and Neck
A56868Billing and Coding: Outpatient Speech Language Pathology

Alphabetic index entries that lead here

Abscess›fauces
Abscess›nasopharyngeal
Abscess›pharynx, pharyngeal(lateral)
Abscess›throat
Bursitis›pharyngeal
Cellulitis›nasopharynx
Cellulitis›pharynx
Abscess›bursa›pharyngeal

Code history

Unchanged in every release from FY2024 to FY2027.