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Compare/J18 vs J70.2

J18 vs J70.2

J18 (Pneumonia, unspecified organism) compared with J70.2 (Acute drug-induced interstitial lung disorders), 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. J18 carries an Excludes1 note covering J70.2: “drug-induced interstitial lung disorder (J70.2-J70.4)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Yes, when both are documented. J18 carries an Excludes2 note covering J70.2: “pneumonitis due to external agents (J67-J70)”

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

Side by side

J18Pneumonia, unspecified organismJ70.2Acute drug-induced interstitial lung disorders
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: J18.0, J18.1, J18.2, J18.8, J18.9

Billable
ClassificationJ00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)
DefinitionPneumonia, unspecified organism is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J18).Acute drug-induced interstitial lung disorders is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J70.2).
Use additional code
code, if applicable, to identify resistance to antimicrobial drugs (Z16.-)
code for adverse effect, if applicable, to identify drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5)
Code first
, if applicable, associated influenza (J09.X1, J10.0-, J11.0-)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources