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Compare/J20 vs J41.1

J20 vs J41.1

J20 (Acute bronchitis) compared with J41.1 (Mucopurulent chronic bronchitis), from the official CMS tabular data. Both may be reported when both conditions are documented (Excludes2).

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented. J20 carries an Excludes2 note covering J41.1: “chronic mucopurulent bronchitis (J41.1)”

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

Side by side

J20Acute bronchitisJ41.1Mucopurulent chronic bronchitis
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: J20.0, J20.1, J20.2, J20.3, J20.4

Billable
ClassificationJ00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)
DefinitionAcute bronchitis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (J20).Mucopurulent chronic bronchitis is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J41.1).
Includes
acute and subacute bronchitis (with) bronchospasm
acute and subacute bronchitis (with) tracheitis
acute and subacute bronchitis (with) tracheobronchitis, acute
acute and subacute fibrinous bronchitis
Use additional code
code to identify:
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)

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