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J43.9 vs J98.2

J43.9 (Emphysema, unspecified) compared with J98.2 (Interstitial emphysema), 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. J43.9 carries an Excludes1 note covering J98.2: “interstitial emphysema (J98.2)”

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

No — do not report together. J43.9 carries an Excludes1 note covering J98.2: “mediastinal emphysema (J98.2)”

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

No — do not report together. J98.2 carries an Excludes1 note covering J43.9: “emphysema NOS (J43.9)”

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

J43.9Emphysema, unspecifiedJ98.2Interstitial emphysema
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationJ00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)J00-J99 — Diseases of the Respiratory System (J00-J99)
DefinitionEmphysema, unspecified is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J43.9).Interstitial emphysema is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J98.2).
Includes
Bullous emphysema (lung)(pulmonary)
Emphysema (lung)(pulmonary) NOS
Emphysematous bleb
Vesicular emphysema (lung)(pulmonary)
Mediastinal emphysema
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