J98.5 — Diseases of mediastinum, not elsewhere classified
J98.5 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for diseases of mediastinum, not elsewhere classified. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.
Excludes2 — not included here, but may coexist
The excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient can have both. You may code both.
- abscess of mediastinum (J85.3)
Excludes1 inherited from the categories above J98.5
These are not written on J98.5, but they bind it: a note on a category applies to every code beneath it. Billing J98.5 with anything listed here is a denial.
Excludes2 inherited from the categories above J98.5
Also inherited, and the opposite of Excludes1: these conditions are not part of J98.5, but a patient can have both, so you may code both.
Risk adjustment
J98.5 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
J98.5 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 J98.5
2 child codes. Green means billable.
Related codes at this level
Codes that share J98. If J98.5 is not quite right, the correct code is usually one of these.
Questions about J98.5
- Is J98.5 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
- No. J98.5 is a non-billable header code. Code to a higher level of specificity using one of its child codes.
- Where does J98.5 sit in the tabular list?
- Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99), in the block Other diseases of the respiratory system (J96-J99).
- What cannot be coded together with J98.5?
- J98.5 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 J98.5 (J98) and apply to it just the same.