ICDcodes.org
FY2027

J68.4 — Chronic respiratory conditions due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors

Billable

Is J68.4 billable?

Yes — J68.4 is billable for FY2027. J68.4 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code at the highest level of specificity in its branch. J68.4 may be submitted for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

J68.4 at a glance

CodeJ68.4
DescriptionChronic respiratory conditions due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors
BillableYes
Code setICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encountersOctober 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does J68.4 group to?

J68.4 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.

  • 190Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with MCCmedical
  • 191Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with CCmedical
  • 192Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease without CC/MCCmedical

How is J68.4 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to J68.4. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

  • Bronchiolitis › chemical (acute) (infective) (subacute)
  • Bronchitis › chemical › chronic (diffuse) (fibrinous) (hypostatic) (infective) (membranous)
  • Bronchitis › chemical › due to fumes or vapors (diffuse) (fibrinous) (hypostatic) (infective) (membranous)
  • Bronchitis › chronic › chemical (diffuse) (fibrinous) (hypostatic) (infective) (membranous)
  • Bronchitis › chemical › due to fumes or vapors › chronic (diffuse) (fibrinous) (hypostatic) (infective) (membranous)
  • Bronchitis › chronic › due to › chemicals, gases, fumes or vapors (diffuse) (fibrinous) (hypostatic) (infective) (membranous)
  • Disease, diseased › respiratory › chronic NOS › due to › chemicals, gases, fumes or vapors
  • Disease, diseased › respiratory › due to › chemicals, gases, fumes or vapors › chronic

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with J68.4 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 pulmonary edema due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors (J68.1)

Code also

Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether J68.4 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.

  • , if applicable, chronic conditions, such as:
  • chronic bronchitis (J42)
  • emphysema (J43.-)
  • obliterative bronchiolitis (J44.81)
  • pulmonary fibrosis (J84.10)

Code first — inherited from J68

The underlying condition below must be sequenced before J68.4. J68.4 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.

  • (T51-T65) to identify cause

Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 10

Report an additional code alongside J68.4 to fully describe the condition. J68.4 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 J68

Report an additional code alongside J68.4 to fully describe the condition. J68.4 is sequenced first.

  • code to identify associated respiratory conditions, such as:
  • acute respiratory failure (J96.0-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 10

The conditions below are not part of J68.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J68.4 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 J60-J70

The conditions below are not part of J68.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J68.4 and the excluded code may both be reported.

  • asthma (J45.-)
  • malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung (C34.-)

How long has J68.4 existed?

J68.4 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 J68.4?

ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with J68.4 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.

Which conditions are coded to J68.4?

What other codes are in the J68 family? (6)