J21.9 vs J44.89
J21.9 (Acute bronchiolitis, unspecified) compared with J44.89 (Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), 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. J21.9 carries an Excludes1 note covering J44.89: “chronic bronchiolitis (J44.89)”
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
| J21.9Acute bronchiolitis, unspecified | J44.89Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) |
| Definition | Acute bronchiolitis, unspecified is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J21.9). | Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J44.89). |
| Includes | acute bronchiolitis with bronchospasm Bronchiolitis (acute) | asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease chronic asthmatic (obstructive) bronchitis chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction chronic bronchitis with emphysema |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources