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J20 vs J45.909

J20 (Acute bronchitis) compared with J45.909 (Unspecified asthma, uncomplicated), 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 J45.909: “allergic bronchitis NOS (J45.909)”

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

Side by side

J20Acute bronchitisJ45.909Unspecified asthma, uncomplicated
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).Unspecified asthma, uncomplicated is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J45.909).
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
allergic (predominantly) asthma
allergic bronchitis NOS
allergic rhinitis with asthma
atopic asthma
Use additional code
code to identify:
eosinophilic asthma (J82.83)
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)

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