J90 — Pleural effusion, not elsewhere classified
Is J90 billable?
Yes, but J90 is an unspecified code. J90 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, J90 is an unspecified or catch-all code. Payers apply additional scrutiny to unspecified codes and many deny them when the medical record supports a more specific option, so check the documentation before selecting J90.
J90 at a glance
| Code | J90 |
|---|---|
| Description | Pleural effusion, not elsewhere classified |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does J90 group to?
J90 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.
- 186Pleural Effusion with MCCmedical
- 187Pleural Effusion with CCmedical
- 188Pleural Effusion without CC/MCCmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, J90 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is J90 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to J90. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Effusion › pleura, pleurisy, pleuritic, pleuropericardial
- Pleurisy › pneumococcal (acute) (adhesive) (chronic) (costal) (diaphragmatic) (double) (dry) (fibrinous) (fibrous) (interlobar) (latent) (plastic) (primary) (residual) (sicca) (sterile) (subacute) (unresolved)
- Pleurisy › streptococcal (acute) (adhesive) (chronic) (costal) (diaphragmatic) (double) (dry) (fibrinous) (fibrous) (interlobar) (latent) (plastic) (primary) (residual) (sicca) (sterile) (subacute) (unresolved)
- Pleurisy › with › effusion (acute) (adhesive) (chronic) (costal) (diaphragmatic) (double) (dry) (fibrinous) (fibrous) (interlobar) (latent) (plastic) (primary) (residual) (sicca) (sterile) (subacute) (unresolved)
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with J90 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Inclusion terms
Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to J90.
- Encysted pleurisy
- Pleural effusion NOS
- Pleurisy with effusion (exudative) (serous)
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 10
Report an additional code alongside J90 to fully describe the condition. J90 is sequenced first.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 10
The conditions below are not part of J90, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, J90 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)
How long has J90 existed?
J90 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 J90?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with J90 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.