J44
Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
J44 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code category for other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Report a more specific code from it instead. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. The more specific codes under it are J44.0 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection; J44.1 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) exacerbation; J44.8 Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and J44.9 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified. Its coding notes include a Use additional code instruction, a Code also instruction, 1 Excludes1 entry and 16 Excludes2 entries.
Guidelines tip
From the FY2027 Official Guidelines. ICD10Ref adds no rules of its own.
An exacerbation is a worsening of the chronic condition. An infection alone does not make it one.
Use additional code
Add the listed code as a secondary code, if known.
Also from chapter/block level (7 notes)
Code also
Two codes may be needed to describe the condition. This note gives no sequencing order.
- type of asthma, if applicable (J45.-)
Excludes1
Not coded here. The listed conditions generally should not be reported together.
Excludes2
Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.
Also from chapter/block level (10 notes)
- 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)
Includes
Further defines or gives examples of the content of the category.
- asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- chronic asthmatic (obstructive) bronchitis
- chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction
- chronic bronchitis with emphysema
- chronic emphysematous bronchitis
- chronic obstructive asthma
- chronic obstructive bronchitis
- chronic obstructive tracheobronchitis
Notes
Also from chapter/block level (1 note)
- When a respiratory condition is described as occurring in more than one site and is not specifically indexed, it should be classified to the lower anatomic site (e.g. tracheobronchitis to bronchitis in J40).