J02.9 vs R07.0
J02.9 (Acute pharyngitis, unspecified) compared with R07.0 (Pain in throat), 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. R07.0 carries an Excludes1 note covering J02.9: “sore throat (acute) NOS (J02.9)”
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
| J02.9Acute pharyngitis, unspecified | R07.0Pain in throat | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) | R00-R99 — Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings, Not Elsewhere Classified (R00-R99) |
| Definition | Acute pharyngitis, unspecified is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J02.9). | Pain in throat is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (R07.0). |
| Includes | acute sore throat Gangrenous pharyngitis (acute) Infective pharyngitis (acute) NOS Pharyngitis (acute) NOS | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources