J04 vs J44.0
J04 (Acute laryngitis and tracheitis) 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. J04 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
| J04Acute laryngitis and tracheitis | 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 laryngitis and tracheitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J04). | 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 |
| Use additional code | 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