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J09-J18 vs P24.01

J09-J18 (Influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18)) compared with P24.01 (Meconium aspiration with respiratory symptoms), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because J09-J18 lists P24.01 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named, billing status and chapter.J09-J18 is “Influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18)”; P24.01 is “Meconium aspiration with respiratory symptoms”. J09-J18 is a non-billable header; P24.01 is billable. J09-J18 sits in J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99); P24.01 in P00-P96 — Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period (P00-P96).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.J09-J18 lists P24.01 under Excludes2: “meconium pneumonia (P24.01)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. P24.01 carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.J09-J18’s tabular entry: “meconium pneumonia (P24.01)”. The note covers P24.01.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.J09-J18 is a non-billable header, but P24.01 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

J09-J18
Influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18)
↔
P24.01
Meconium aspiration with respiratory symptoms

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.J09-J18 carries an Excludes2 note covering P24.01: “meconium pneumonia (P24.01)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2026

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

J09-J18Influenza and pneumonia (J09-J18)P24.01Meconium aspiration with respiratory symptoms
Billing statusNon-billable headerBillable
ClassificationJ00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)P00-P96 — Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period (P00-P96)
DefinitionInfluenza and pneumonia (J09-J18) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J09-J18).Meconium aspiration with respiratory symptoms is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (P24.01).
Includes—
aspiration in utero and during delivery
Meconium aspiration pneumonia
Meconium aspiration pneumonitis
Meconium aspiration syndrome NOS
Excludes1—
meconium passage (without aspiration) during delivery (P03.82 )
meconium staining (P96.83 )
Excludes2
allergic or eosinophilic pneumonia (J82)
aspiration pneumonia NOS (J69.0)
meconium pneumonia (P24.01)
neonatal aspiration pneumonia (P24.-)
pneumonia due to solids and liquids (J69.-)
congenital pneumonia (P23.9)
lipid pneumonia (J69.1)
rheumatic pneumonia (I00)
ventilator associated pneumonia (J95.851)
—
Use additional code
code, if applicable, to identify resistance to antimicrobial drugs (Z16.-)
code to identify any secondary pulmonary hypertension, if applicable (I27.2-)

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources