J44 — Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Is J44 billable?
No — J44 is a non-billable header code. J44 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 5 billable codes beneath J44.
Billable codes under this header
- J44.0Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection
- J44.1Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) exacerbation
- J44.9Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified
- J44.81Bronchiolitis obliterans and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome
- J44.89Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
J44 at a glance
| Code | J44 |
|---|---|
| Description | Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| 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 J44, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J44 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Code also
Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether J44 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.
- type of asthma, if applicable (J45.-)
Includes
Conditions classified to J44.
- asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- chronic asthmatic (obstructive) bronchitis
- chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction
- chronic bronchitis with emphysema
- chronic emphysematous bronchitis
- chronic obstructive asthma
- chronic obstructive bronchitis
- chronic obstructive tracheobronchitis
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from J40-J4B
The conditions below can never be reported together with J44 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- bronchitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors (J68.0)
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 10
Report an additional code alongside J44 to fully describe the condition. J44 is sequenced first.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 10
The conditions below are not part of J44, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J44 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 J40-J4B
The conditions below are not part of J44, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J44 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- cystic fibrosis (E84.-)
What codes fall under J44? (4)
How long has J44 existed?
J44 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 J44?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with J44 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.