J20

ICD-10Non-billable category

Acute bronchitis

Official ICD-10-CM descriptor (FY2026)

Acute bronchitis

J20 is a category heading, not a billable code. CMS does not accept it on a claim; report one of the more specific codes beneath it.

Includes

  • 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

Excludes1

Not coded here. An Excludes1 code should never be reported at the same time as the code above it.

  • bronchitis NOS (J40)
  • tracheobronchitis NOS (J40)

Excludes2

Not included here. The condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, and 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)

More specific codes under J20

Where this code sits

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Source

ICD-10-CM FY2026. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) / National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), “2026 ICD-10-CM Code Descriptions in Tabular Order” (icd10cm_order_2026.txt). Download the original file from cms.gov. Public domain (US Government work). Descriptors, billable flags and instructional notes on this page are reproduced from that file without modification. Krasyn adds no clinical guidance.

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