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J40 ICD-10-CM Code: Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic

J40 is not a CMS-HCC payment code. MEAT criteria · RAF Calculator · HCC coding software

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Code lookupJ40

FY 2026 Apr update / Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99) / Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J4A)

J40

Billable / SpecificICD-10-CMOfficial ICD-10-CMCodebook guidance

Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic

Inflammation of the airways in the lungs (bronchitis) without clear indication of whether it is acute or chronic in nature.

CMS-HCC V28

N/A

Not mapped

CMS-HCC V24

Historical

Historical

Not used for CY2026 payment

ACA/HHS

N/A

Not mapped

ESRD/PACE

N/A

Not mapped

RXHCC

N/A

Not mapped

Inclusion Terms

Official
  • Bronchitis NOS
  • Bronchitis with tracheitis NOS
  • Catarrhal bronchitis
  • Tracheobronchitis NOS

Excludes 2

Official
  • certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • neoplasms (C00-D49)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • smoke inhalation (T59.81-)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A
  • cystic fibrosis (E84.-)Inherited from J00-J99, J40-J4A

Related Codes

Official

No related codes are included in this display for J40. Check the Code Book for the complete code path.

Includes

Official

No Includes notes are included in this display for J40. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Excludes 1

Official
  • acute bronchitis (J20.-)
  • allergic bronchitis NOS (J45.909)
  • asthmatic bronchitis NOS (J45.9-)
  • bronchitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors (J68.0)Inherited from J40-J4A

Code First

Official

No Code First sequencing instructions are included in this display for J40. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Use Additional

Official
  • code to identify:
  • exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)Inherited from J00-J99
  • exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)Inherited from J00-J99
  • history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)Inherited from J00-J99
  • occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)Inherited from J00-J99
  • tobacco dependence (F17.-)Inherited from J00-J99
  • tobacco use (Z72.0)Inherited from J00-J99
  • code, where applicable, to identify:Inherited from J00-J99

Code Also

Official

No Code Also instructions are included in this display for J40. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Query the provider to determine if bronchitis is acute or chronic, as more specific codes (J20 for acute, J41-J42 for chronic) are preferred
Document the duration and characteristics of symptoms to support acute versus chronic classification

Current with CMS: FY2026 ICD-10-CM Apr 1 update (effective Apr 1 – Sep 30, 2026) · CMS-HCC V28, 100% phased in for payment year 2026. FY2027 code set already staged for October 1, 2026. How HCC Buddy stays current →

Is J40 an HCC code?

No. J40 is a billable ICD-10-CM code with no mapping under the current CMS-HCC V28 community payment model, and none under the ESRD, Part D RxHCC, or HHS-HCC models.

Code
J40
Description
Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic
HCC (V28)
No CMS-HCC V28 mapping
RAF reference coefficient
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

Coder workflow notes

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What This Code Means

J40 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic. Inflammation of the airways in the lungs (bronchitis) without clear indication of whether it is acute or chronic in nature. J40 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for diseases of the respiratory system (j00-j99), within the section covering chronic lower respiratory diseases (j40-j4a).

J40 is a billable ICD-10-CM code, but no current CMS-HCC V28 community payment mapping is shown, and none under the ESRD, Part D RxHCC, or HHS-HCC models. Do not assign risk adjustment value from this page when no source-backed mapping is shown; verify the applicable model and payment year.

Query the provider to determine if bronchitis is acute or chronic, as more specific codes (J20 for acute, J41-J42 for chronic) are preferred.

HCC Buddy maintains structured V28 and V24 mapping, source-labeled coefficient references, and MEAT documentation criteria for J40 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Query the provider to determine if bronchitis is acute or chronic, as more specific codes (J20 for acute, J41-J42 for chronic) are preferred
  • Document the duration and characteristics of symptoms to support acute versus chronic classification

Excludes 1, Do NOT code together

  • acute bronchitis (J20.-)
  • allergic bronchitis NOS (J45.909)
  • asthmatic bronchitis NOS (J45.9-)
  • bronchitis due to chemicals, gases, fumes and vapors (J68.0)

Use Additional Code

  • code to identify:
  • exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
  • exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)
  • history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
  • occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
  • tobacco dependence (F17.-)
  • tobacco use (Z72.0)

Code Hierarchy

J40Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic
J40Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic

Work J40 in HCC Buddy

Open J40 in the Code Book for the full Index-to-Tabular path, MEAT checklist, and V28 HCC mapping, or in the Encoder to code from a keyword search. Pro includes 7 days to try everything, no card required.