J15

Header — not billable

Bacterial pneumonia, not elsewhere classified

The ICD-10 code for bacterial pneumonia, not elsewhere classified is J15.

J15 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 10 more specific codes below.

Clinical notes

Code also

Two codes may be needed to fully describe a condition, but unlike Code First/Use Additional Code, the sequencing order is not mandated by convention.

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

Code first

This code represents a manifestation of an underlying disease. Coding convention requires the underlying (etiology) code to be sequenced first, with this code listed second.

, if applicable, associated influenza (J09.X1, J10.0-, J11.0-)

Excludes1 (not coded here)

An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).

chlamydial pneumonia (J16.0)
congenital pneumonia (P23.-)
Legionnaires' disease (A48.1)
spirochetal pneumonia (A69.8)

Includes

Terms listed here further define or give examples of the conditions grouped under this code — they describe what the code covers, not a separate diagnosis.

bronchopneumonia due to bacteria other than S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae

Documentation support

General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.

•This is a non-billable header code. Documentation must support a more specific child code before this diagnosis can be reported on a claim.
•Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
•This code represents a manifestation. Documentation should identify the underlying condition, which must be coded first.
•As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.

J15