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Compare/B01.2 vs J17

B01.2 vs J17

B01.2 (Varicella pneumonia) compared with J17 (Pneumonia in diseases classified elsewhere), 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. J17 carries an Excludes1 note covering B01.2: “varicella pneumonia (B01.2)”

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

B01.2Varicella pneumoniaJ17Pneumonia in diseases classified elsewhere
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationA00-B99 — Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (A00-B99)J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)
DefinitionVaricella pneumonia is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (B01.2).Pneumonia in diseases classified elsewhere is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J17).
Use additional code
code, if applicable, to identify resistance to antimicrobial drugs (Z16.-)
Code first
underlying disease, such as:
Q fever (A78)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources