J04 — Acute laryngitis and tracheitis
Is J04 billable?
No — J04 is a non-billable header code. J04 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 6 billable codes beneath J04.
J04 at a glance
| Code | J04 |
|---|---|
| Description | Acute laryngitis and tracheitis |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with J04 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- acute obstructive laryngitis [croup] and epiglottitis (J05.-)
Use additional code
Report an additional code alongside J04 to fully describe the condition. J04 is sequenced first.
- code (B95-B97) to identify infectious agent.
Excludes2 — not included here
The conditions below are not part of J04, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J04 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- laryngismus (stridulus) (J38.5)
Code also
Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether J04 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.
- influenza, if present, such as:
- influenza due to identified novel influenza A virus with other respiratory manifestations (J09.X2)
- influenza due to other identified influenza virus with other respiratory manifestations (J10.1)
- influenza due to unidentified influenza virus with other respiratory manifestations (J11.1)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from J00-J06
The conditions below can never be reported together with J04 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute lower respiratory infection (J44.0)
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 10
Report an additional code alongside J04 to fully describe the condition. J04 is sequenced first.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 10
The conditions below are not part of J04, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J04 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- smoke inhalation (T59.81-)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
What codes fall under J04? (4)
How long has J04 existed?
J04 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.