2025 ICD-10-CM code J44.9
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Respiratory - Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J4A) Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99) Feed
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified. Chronic obstructive airway disease NOS. Chronic obstructive lung disease NOS.
Medical necessity for COPD treatment is established by demonstrating the impact of the disease on the patient's respiratory function and overall health, as supported by objective measures like spirometry and clinical findings.
Physicians specializing in respiratory medicine or pulmonology are typically responsible for diagnosing and managing COPD, using various diagnostic tools like spirometry to assess lung function and imaging studies to evaluate the extent of lung damage. They also prescribe appropriate medications, including bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids, and recommend pulmonary rehabilitation programs to improve patients' breathing and quality of life.
In simple words: This code signifies a chronic lung disease that makes breathing difficult, often involving chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema, without specifying the exact type.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) encompasses conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, characterized by airflow obstruction that is not fully reversible.This code is used when COPD is present but not further specified.It includes asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic asthmatic (obstructive) bronchitis, chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction, chronic bronchitis with emphysema, chronic obstructive asthma, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and chronic obstructive tracheobronchitis.
Example 1: A patient presents with a long history of smoking, chronic cough, and shortness of breath. Spirometry confirms airflow limitation, leading to a diagnosis of COPD, but without specific details on the dominant features of bronchitis or emphysema. J44.9 is used., A patient with asthma experiences progressively worsening symptoms and develops irreversible airflow obstruction. The combination of asthma and COPD is documented as J44.9, along with the specific asthma code (J45.-)., A patient presents with chronic productive cough and shortness of breath, and imaging studies show features of both chronic bronchitis and emphysema, making it difficult to classify as predominantly one or the other. The overall diagnosis of COPD is coded as J44.9.
Documentation should include patient history (smoking, exposure to irritants), physical exam findings (wheezing, reduced breath sounds), spirometry results showing airflow limitation, and any other relevant test results (chest x-ray, arterial blood gas).If asthma is present, its type should also be documented.
** Excludes1: chronic bronchitis NOS (J42), chronic simple and mucopurulent bronchitis (J41.-), chronic tracheitis (J42), chronic tracheobronchitis (J42). Excludes2: bronchiectasis (J47.-), emphysema without chronic bronchitis (J43.-), lung diseases due to external agents (J60-J70).
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- Specialties:Pulmonology, Respiratory Therapy, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine
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