J04 vs J05
J04 (Acute laryngitis and tracheitis) compared with J05 (Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis), 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. J04 carries an Excludes1 note covering J05: “acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis (J05.-)”
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
| J04Acute laryngitis and tracheitis | J05Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Non-billable header |
| Classification | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) |
| Definition | Acute laryngitis and tracheitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J04). | Acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J05). |
| Use additional code | code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent. | code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent. |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources