J03 vs J44.0
J03 (Acute tonsillitis) compared with J44.0 (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection), 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. J03 carries an Excludes1 note covering J44.0: “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute lower respiratory infection (J44.0)”
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
| J03Acute tonsillitis | J44.0Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Billable |
| Classification | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) |
| Definition | Acute tonsillitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J03). | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J44.0). |
| Includes | — | asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease chronic asthmatic (obstructive) bronchitis chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction chronic bronchitis with emphysema |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources