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J34.2 ICD-10-CM Code: Deviated nasal septum

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 inclusion term · 1 Excludes1 · 1 Excludes2

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v43, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 011 — TRACHEOSTOMY FOR FACE, MOUTH AND NECK DIAGNOSES OR LARYNGECTOMY WITH MCC (MDC PRE)
  • MS-DRG 012 — TRACHEOSTOMY FOR FACE, MOUTH AND NECK DIAGNOSES OR LARYNGECTOMY WITH CC (MDC PRE)
  • MS-DRG 013 — TRACHEOSTOMY FOR FACE, MOUTH AND NECK DIAGNOSES OR LARYNGECTOMY WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC PRE)
  • MS-DRG 154 — OTHER EAR, NOSE, MOUTH AND THROAT DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 03)
  • MS-DRG 155 — OTHER EAR, NOSE, MOUTH AND THROAT DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 03)
  • MS-DRG 156 — OTHER EAR, NOSE, MOUTH AND THROAT DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 03)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for J34.2 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Notes without a marker are published on J34.2 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • Deflection or deviation of septum (nasal) (acquired)

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).

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Source: inherited from J34

Coder workflow for J34.2

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

Before you code J34.2

  1. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with J34.2. 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 a condition named in J34.2’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.

    ReviewQ67.4

Consider J34.2. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

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).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting J34.2(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with J34.2: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareQ67.4

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

  • Excludes2 — not part of J34.2(1 note)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in J34.2. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareI86.8

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

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: Both the condition J34.2 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).

ReviewQ67.4

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.

Code Overview

Deviated nasal septum is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (J34.2).

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

Indexed Clinical Terms (9)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.

Verify Before Coding

  • No Medicare Code Editor or MS-DRG Definitions Manual restrictions apply to this code.

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 structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name J34.2 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 1 Excludes2 note: M95.0 — Acquired deformity of nose.

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

Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: J34.82 — Nasal valve collapse.

Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2026)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2026 MS-DRG: not on the CMS CC/MCC list — as a secondary diagnosis this code does not change MS-DRG severity for that release.

Named in the grouper logic of 6 MS-DRGs: DRG 011 (MDC PRE), DRG 012 (MDC PRE), DRG 013 (MDC PRE), DRG 154 (MDC 03), DRG 155 (MDC 03), DRG 156 (MDC 03).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):RSP007 — Other specified and unspecified upper respiratory disease (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Other specified and unspecified upper respiratory disease).

J30.9 — Allergic rhinitis, unspecified, J31.0 — Chronic rhinitis, J31.1 — Chronic nasopharyngitis, J31.2 — Chronic pharyngitis, J33.0 — Polyp of nasal cavity, J33.1 — Polypoid sinus degeneration, J33.8 — Other polyp of sinus, J33.9 — Nasal polyp, unspecified, J34.0 — Abscess, furuncle and carbuncle of nose, J34.1 — Cyst and mucocele of nose and nasal sinus, J34.3 — Hypertrophy of nasal turbinates, J34.81 — Nasal mucositis (ulcerative), J34.8200 — Internal nasal valve collapse, unspecified, J34.8201 — Internal nasal valve collapse, static, J34.8202 — Internal nasal valve collapse, dynamic, J34.8210 — External nasal valve collapse, unspecified, J34.8211 — External nasal valve collapse, static, J34.8212 — External nasal valve collapse, dynamic, J34.829 — Nasal valve collapse, unspecified, J34.89 — Other specified disorders of nose and nasal sinuses, +24 more

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Deformity”, “Deviation”, “Irregular, irregularity”, …; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

H55.81 — Deficient saccadic eye movements (eye movements, deficient, saccadic), H55.82 — Deficient smooth pursuit eye movements (eye movements, deficient, smooth), H55.89 — Other irregular eye movements (eye movements), I05.8 — Other rheumatic mitral valve diseases (mitral), I07.8 — Other rheumatic tricuspid valve diseases (tricuspid), I25.9 — Chronic ischemic heart disease, unspecified (coronary artery), I35.8 — Other nonrheumatic aortic valve disorders (aortic, cusp or valve, acquired), I49.9 — Cardiac arrhythmia, unspecified (action, heart), I77.89 — Other specified disorders of arteries and arterioles (aorta, acquired), I78.8 — Other diseases of capillaries (capillary), J38.7 — Other diseases of larynx (larynx, acquired), J39.2 — Other diseases of pharynx (pharynx, acquired), J39.8 — Other specified diseases of upper respiratory tract (trachea), J98.09 — Other diseases of bronchus, not elsewhere classified (bronchus, acquired NEC), J98.4 — Other disorders of lung (lung, acquired), J98.6 — Disorders of diaphragm (diaphragm, acquired), K00.2 — Abnormalities of size and form of teeth (tooth, teeth), K04.3 — Abnormal hard tissue formation in pulp (dentin), K06.8 — Other specified disorders of gingiva and edentulous alveolar ridge (gum, acquired NEC), K08.89 — Other specified disorders of teeth and supporting structures (alveolar process), +408 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of J34.2 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 J34.2 with these 3 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Referenced by Code First instructions

Clinical classification (CCSR)

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • Pre-MDC[MDC crossing]: “Pre-MDC — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 153 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026
  • MDC 03 — Diseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 5,147 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026

Index entries (9)

  • Crooked septum, nasal[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Deflection, septum (acquired) (nasal) (nose)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Deflection, turbinate (nose)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Deformity, nose (acquired) (cartilage), septum (acquired)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Deformity, septum, nasal (acquired)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Deviation (in), nasal septum[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Deviation (in), septum (nasal) (acquired)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Dislocation (articular), septum (nasal) (old)[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • and 1 more

Nearest codes (24)

Change history

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

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 FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v43 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 structured 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 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.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Deviated nasal septum

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), 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 J34.2 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the J34 family