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Compare/A15 vs J93

A15 vs J93

A15 (Respiratory tuberculosis) compared with J93 (Pneumothorax and air leak), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. J93 carries an Excludes1 note covering A15: “tuberculous (current disease) pneumothorax (A15.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

A15Respiratory tuberculosisJ93Pneumothorax and air leak
Billing statusNon-billable header

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

Non-billable header

Report instead: J93.0, J93.11, J93.12, J93.81, J93.82

ClassificationA00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)
DefinitionRespiratory tuberculosis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (A15).Pneumothorax and air leak is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J93).
Includes
infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis
—
Use additional code
code, if applicable, for associated cachexia (E88.A)
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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources