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A15 vs A19

A15 (Respiratory tuberculosis) compared with A19 (Miliary tuberculosis), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

No coding relationship between these codes was found in the tabular notes or in MedCoder’s derived relationships.

What is different?

The conditions named.A15 is “Respiratory tuberculosis”; A19 is “Miliary tuberculosis”.

Registry fact

Is one a parent or header code?

Both are headers.Both are non-billable headers, and neither contains the other.

Registry fact

Nothing found in 5 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Can these codes be reported together?

No instruction prevents it.No note in either entry names the other, and no derived relationship links them. Each may be reported when its own documentation requirements are met.

Registry fact

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. A15 carries 7 Excludes1 notes and A19 carries 7 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes.

No Excludes1/Excludes2 relationship exists between these codes in the official tabular list. Each may be reported when its own documentation requirements are met.

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
A15

Respiratory tuberculosis

A19

Miliary tuberculosis

StatusDiffers
A15
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: A15.0, A15.4, A15.5, A15.6, A15.7

A19
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: A19.0, A19.1, A19.2, A19.8, A19.9

Excludes1Same for both
  • congenital tuberculosis (P37.0)
  • nonspecific reaction to test for tuberculosis without active tuberculosis (R76.1-)
  • pneumoconiosis associated with tuberculosis, any type in A15 (J65)
  • positive PPD (R76.11)
  • positive tuberculin skin test without active tuberculosis (R76.11)
  • sequelae of tuberculosis (B90.-)
  • silicotuberculosis (J65)
Use additional codeSame for both
  • code, if applicable, for associated cachexia (E88.A)
CategorySame for both

Is itself a category

ChapterSame for both

A00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)

IncludesDiffers
Only at A15

No note of its own beyond the shared notes

Only at A19
  • disseminated tuberculosis
  • generalized tuberculosis
  • tuberculous polyserositis
Shared by both codes (1 note)
  • infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis

No Excludes2, Code first, Code also and 7th character note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources