J21 — Acute bronchiolitis
Is J21 billable?
No — J21 is a non-billable header code. J21 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 4 billable codes beneath J21.
J21 at a glance
| Code | J21 |
|---|---|
| Description | Acute bronchiolitis |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes2 — not included here
The conditions below are not part of J21, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J21 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- respiratory bronchiolitis interstitial lung disease (J84.115)
Includes
Conditions classified to J21.
- acute bronchiolitis with bronchospasm
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 10
Report an additional code alongside J21 to fully describe the condition. J21 is sequenced first.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 10
The conditions below are not part of J21, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J21 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 J20-J22
The conditions below are not part of J21, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J21 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute lower respiratory infection (J44.0)
What codes fall under J21? (4)
How long has J21 existed?
J21 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.