J82.83
BillableEosinophilic asthma
HCC Category Mapping
RxHCCHCC 229 — COPD and Chronic Bronchitis
0.000What This Code Means
A type of asthma where abnormal white blood cells called eosinophils accumulate in the airways, causing inflammation and breathing difficulties.
Coding Tips
- •Verify documentation specifies eosinophilic asthma rather than other forms of asthma with eosinophilia
- •May require additional codes for asthma severity and control status
Clinical Significance
Eosinophilic asthma is a distinct phenotype of asthma characterized by elevated eosinophils in the airways, often presenting as severe, difficult-to-control asthma that responds to biologic therapies targeting eosinophilic pathways. While it does not map to traditional community or institutional HCCs, it maps to RxHCC reflecting the high cost of biologic treatments.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Elevated peripheral blood eosinophils or sputum eosinophilia documenting the eosinophilic phenotype
- ✓Asthma diagnosis with documented severity and control status
- ✓Documentation that the asthma is specifically characterized as eosinophilic type
- ✓Current medications including any biologic therapy (mepolizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab, etc.)
- ✓Pulmonary function test results with bronchodilator response
- ✓Exacerbation history and healthcare utilization
Code First
Commonly Confused Codes
J45.x (Asthma codes by severity) — standard asthma codes by severity; J82.83 captures the eosinophilic phenotype specificallyJ82.81 (Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia) — interstitial/alveolar eosinophilic process vs. airway eosinophilic diseaseJ82.89 (Other pulmonary eosinophilia) — residual eosinophilic category; use J82.83 when eosinophilic asthma is documentedJ45.50 (Severe persistent asthma, uncomplicated) — may coexist; code both the severity and the eosinophilic phenotype