A15 vs J60
A15 and J60 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
A15
Respiratory tuberculosis
Not billable
- Chapter 1
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
- Section
- A15-A19
J60
Coalworker's pneumoconiosis
Billable
- Chapter 10
- Diseases of the respiratory system
- Section
- J60-J70
Use when the record says
- Anthracosilicosis
- Anthracosis
- Black lung disease
- Coalworker's lung
Indexed under
- Anthracosilicosis
- Anthracosis (lung) (occupational)
- Carbon lung
- Coalworker's lung or pneumoconiosis
- Collier's asthma or lung
These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.
Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027