J17 — Pneumonia in diseases classified elsewhere

BillableMCC

Is J17 billable?

Yes — J17 is billable for FY2027. J17 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. J17 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

J17 at a glance

Code	J17
Description	Pneumonia in diseases classified elsewhere
Billable	Yes
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

What Medicare edits apply to J17?

The Medicare Code Editor screens inpatient claims before they are grouped. These edits name J17 directly.

Manifestation code — never sequenced first — MCE edit 6

This code describes a manifestation of an underlying disease. The underlying condition must be sequenced before it, so it can never be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.

Which MS-DRGs does J17 group to?

J17 sits in MDC 04 and helps define the logic of 3 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.

177Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCCmedical
178Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CCmedical
179Respiratory Infections and Inflammations without CC/MCCmedical

As a secondary diagnosis, J17 is a major complication or comorbidity (MCC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.

How is J17 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to J17. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

Pneumonia › postinfectional NEC (acute) (double) (migratory) (purulent) (septic) (unresolved)
Pneumonia › rheumatic (acute) (double) (migratory) (purulent) (septic) (unresolved)
Rheumatic › pneumonia (acute) (subacute)
Bilharziasis › pulmonary NOS › pneumonia
Pneumonia › in › rheumatic fever (acute) (double) (migratory) (purulent) (septic) (unresolved)
Pneumonia › in › schistosomiasis (acute) (double) (migratory) (purulent) (septic) (unresolved)
Schistosomiasis › lung NEC › pneumonia

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with J17 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

candidial pneumonia (B37.1)
chlamydial pneumonia (J16.0)
gonorrheal pneumonia (A54.84)
histoplasmosis pneumonia (B39.0-B39.2)
measles pneumonia (B05.2)
nocardiosis pneumonia (A43.0)
pneumocystosis (B59)
pneumonia due to Pneumocystis carinii (B59)
pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jirovecii (B59)
pneumonia in actinomycosis (A42.0)
pneumonia in anthrax (A22.1)
pneumonia in ascariasis (B77.81)
pneumonia in aspergillosis (B44.0-B44.1)
pneumonia in coccidioidomycosis (B38.0-B38.2)
pneumonia in cytomegalovirus disease (B25.0)
pneumonia in toxoplasmosis (B58.3)
rubella pneumonia (B06.81)
salmonella pneumonia (A02.22)
spirochetal infection NEC with pneumonia (A69.8)
tularemia pneumonia (A21.2)
typhoid fever with pneumonia (A01.03)
varicella pneumonia (B01.2)
whooping cough with pneumonia (A37 with fifth-character 1)

Code first

The underlying condition below must be sequenced before J17. J17 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.

underlying disease, such as:
Q fever (A78)
rheumatic fever (I00)
schistosomiasis (B65.0-B65.9)

Code also

Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether J17 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.

, if applicable, any associated condition such as:
abscess (J85.1)
aspiration pneumonia (J69.-)

Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 10

Report an additional code alongside J17 to fully describe the condition. J17 is sequenced first.

code, where applicable, to identify:
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)
history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
tobacco dependence (F17.-)
tobacco use (Z72.0)

Use additional code — inherited from J09-J18

Report an additional code alongside J17 to fully describe the condition. J17 is sequenced first.

code, if applicable, to identify resistance to antimicrobial drugs (Z16.-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 10

The conditions below are not part of J17, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J17 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)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from J09-J18

The conditions below are not part of J17, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J17 and the excluded code may both be reported.

allergic or eosinophilic pneumonia (J82)
aspiration pneumonia NOS (J69.0)
meconium pneumonia (P24.01)
neonatal aspiration pneumonia (P24.-)
pneumonia due to solids and liquids (J69.-)
congenital pneumonia (P23.9)
lipid pneumonia (J69.1)
rheumatic pneumonia (I00)
ventilator associated pneumonia (J95.851)

How long has J17 existed?

J17 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.

Which codes are confused with J17?

ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with J17 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.