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A15 ICD-10-CM Code: Respiratory tuberculosis

Compare with another code for A15Check this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Coding at a Glance

Official instructions
1 inclusion term · 7 Excludes1 · 1 use-additional instruction

What these terms mean →

Category · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

Use additional codefrom A15-A19Report with this code when documented
  • Use additional code, if applicable, for associated cachexia (E88.A)
Excludes1from A15-A19Not reported with this code unless documented as unrelated
  • congenital tuberculosis (P37.0)
  • nonspecific reaction to test for tuberculosis without active tuberculosis (R76.1-)
  • pneumoconiosis associated with tuberculosis, any type in A15 (J65)
  • positive PPD (R76.11)

+3 more in Instructions

Includesfrom A15-A19What A15-A19 covers
  • infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 1: Certain Infectious and Parasitic DiseasesA15-A19 Tuberculosis

Codes under A15 (7)

  • A15.0Tuberculosis of lungBillable
  • A15.4Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodesBillable
  • A15.5Tuberculosis of larynx, trachea and bronchusBillable
  • A15.6Tuberculous pleurisyBillable
  • A15.7Primary respiratory tuberculosisBillable
  • A15.8Other respiratory tuberculosisBillable
  • A15.9Respiratory tuberculosis unspecifiedBillable

Most relevant related codes MedCoder-derived

Read off the official notes above and this code’s own position in the tabular list. Which to report is a documentation question; Compare shows the two side by side.

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for A15 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on A15 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Includes

Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.

  • infections due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis

Source: inherited from A15-A19

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from A15-A19

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code, if applicable, for associated cachexia (E88.A)

Source: inherited from A15-A19

Coder workflow for A15

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code A15

  1. A15 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewA15.0, A15.4, A15.5, A15.6, A15.7, A15.8, A15.9

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with the code beneath A15. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath A15?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → A15 cannot be reported as written. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

    ReviewA15.0, A15.4, A15.5, A15.6, A15.7, A15.8, A15.9

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in A15’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewP37.0, R76.1, J65, R76.11, B90

Report the code beneath A15 that the documentation supports, not A15 itself. Then work the Use Additional Code note, and confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
The conditions the Use Additional Code note names
Reported with this code when documented; a conditional instruction (“if applicable”, “if known”) applies only when the record supports it.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting A15(7 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with A15: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareP37.0, R76.1, J65, R76.11, B90

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying A15(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with A15 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

    ReviewE88.A

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: Both the condition A15 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewP37.0, R76.1, J65, R76.11, B90

Documentation: A condition the Use Additional Code note names is documented.

Coding question: Is a second code reported with the code beneath A15?

Path: Review the Use Additional Code note and the code it names.

Reason: The additional code is reported when the record documents the condition; a conditional instruction applies only when its condition is met (Guidelines I.A.13).

ReviewE88.A

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Don’t confuse A15 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of A15 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • P37.0— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of congenital tuberculosis moves the case to P37.0; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: A15 vs P37.0 →

  • R76.1— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of nonspecific reaction to test for tuberculosis without active tuberculosis moves the case to R76.1; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: A15 vs R76.1 →

  • J65— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of pneumoconiosis associated with tuberculosis, any type in A15 moves the case to J65; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: A15 vs J65 →

  • R76.11— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of positive PPD moves the case to R76.11; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: A15 vs R76.11 →

  • B90— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of sequelae of tuberculosis moves the case to B90; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: A15 vs B90 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Respiratory tuberculosis is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (A15). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name A15 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 3 Excludes1 notes: J93 — Pneumothorax and air leak, J94 — Other pleural conditions, J98.11 — Atelectasis.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 1 Excludes2 note: A31 — Infection due to other mycobacteria.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Referenced by 1 Code Also instruction: D61.82 — Myelophthisis.

These codes suggest coding this condition alongside when both are present.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of A15 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run A15 with these 11 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1

Use Additional Code

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

  • J93 — Pneumothorax and air leak[Excludes1]: “tuberculous (current disease) pneumothorax (A15.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • J94 — Other pleural conditions[Excludes1]: “tuberculous pleural conditions (current disease) (A15.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • J98.11 — Atelectasis[Excludes1]: “tuberculous atelectasis (current disease) (A15)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Referenced by Code Also instructions

  • D61.82 — Myelophthisis[Code Also]: “tuberculosis (A15.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027

Nearest codes

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can A15 be billed directly?

No. A15 (Respiratory tuberculosis) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder editorial explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "A15 — Respiratory tuberculosis." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/a15-respiratory-tuberculosis

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Respiratory tuberculosis

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to A15 in its code family, with their registry titles.