J20
Header — not billableAcute bronchitis
The ICD-10 code for acute bronchitis is J20.
J20 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
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).
Excludes2 (not included here)
An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of this one, but a patient can have both at the same time — in that case both codes may be reported together.
- acute bronchitis with bronchiectasis (J47.0)
- acute bronchitis with chronic obstructive asthma (J44.0)
- acute bronchitis with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (J44.0)
- allergic bronchitis NOS (J45.909)
- bronchitis due to chemicals, fumes and vapors (J68.0)
- chronic bronchitis NOS (J42)
- chronic mucopurulent bronchitis (J41.1)
- chronic obstructive bronchitis (J44.-)
- chronic obstructive tracheobronchitis (J44.-)
- chronic simple bronchitis (J41.0)
- chronic tracheobronchitis (J42)
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.
- acute and subacute bronchitis (with) bronchospasm
- acute and subacute bronchitis (with) tracheitis
- acute and subacute bronchitis (with) tracheobronchitis, acute
- acute and subacute fibrinous bronchitis
- acute and subacute membranous bronchitis
- acute and subacute purulent bronchitis
- acute and subacute septic bronchitis
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.
- •As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.
Child codes under J20
- J20.0Acute bronchitis due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- J20.1Acute bronchitis due to Hemophilus influenzae
- J20.2Acute bronchitis due to streptococcus
- J20.3Acute bronchitis due to coxsackievirus
- J20.4Acute bronchitis due to parainfluenza virus
- J20.5Acute bronchitis due to respiratory syncytial virus
- J20.6Acute bronchitis due to rhinovirus
- J20.7Acute bronchitis due to echovirus
- J20.8Acute bronchitis due to other specified organisms
- J20.9Acute bronchitis, unspecified
Related codes in this category
- J21Acute bronchiolitisnon-billable header
- J22Unspecified acute lower respiratory infection
- J20Acute bronchitisnon-billable header