J42 vs J68.0
J42 (Unspecified chronic bronchitis) compared with J68.0 (Bronchitis and pneumonitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors), 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. J42 carries an Excludes1 note covering J68.0: “bronchitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors (J68.0)”
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
| J42Unspecified chronic bronchitis | J68.0Bronchitis and pneumonitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) | J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99) |
| Definition | Unspecified chronic bronchitis is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J42). | Bronchitis and pneumonitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J68.0). |
| Includes | Chronic bronchitis NOS Chronic tracheitis Chronic tracheobronchitis | Chemical bronchitis (acute) |
| Use additional code | code to identify: exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22) exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81) | code to identify associated respiratory conditions, such as: acute respiratory failure (J96.0-) |
| Code first | — | (T51-T65) to identify cause |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources