Unspecified acute lower respiratory infection
In Other acute lower respiratory infections (J20-J22), chapter 10: Diseases of the Respiratory System
- J22 is an unspecified code: use it only when the record doesn't document anything more specific. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under J20-J22 below.
- As a secondary diagnosis it is not a CC or MCC, so it doesn't raise the MS-DRG payment.
- Doesn't count toward a Medicare Advantage risk score (no HCC in V28).
- AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as not chronic (an acute or short-term condition).
- 58 US deaths in 2024 had an underlying cause in category J22, per the National Vital Statistics System on CDC WONDER. Death records use WHO ICD-10, so the count is for the whole category.
Also indexed as: Infection, chest; Infection, respiratory NEC, acute; Infection, respiratory NEC, lower
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Instructional notes
Includes: conditions that are coded here
- Acute (lower) respiratory (tract) infection NOS
Excludes1: not coded here, use a different code
- upper respiratory infection (acute) (J06.9)
Also applies, from Other acute lower respiratory infections (J20-J22)
These notes sit on J20-J22 and apply to every code under it, including J22.
Excludes2: not included here, code separately if applicable
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute lower respiratory infection (J44.0)
Official coding guidelines
From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.
Covers COPD and asthma exacerbations, sequencing of acute respiratory failure, confirmed versus suspected identified influenza, ventilator associated pneumonia, and vaping-related disorders.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD] and Asthma (page 56)
- Acute Respiratory Failure (page 56)
- Influenza due to certain identified influenza viruses (page 57)
- Ventilator associated Pneumonia (page 57)
- Vaping-related disorders (page 58)
Other codes under J20-J22
Other acute lower respiratory infections (J20-J22)
- J20Acute bronchitis
- J21Acute bronchiolitis
- J22Unspecified acute lower respiratory infection(this code)
J22 MS-DRGs
As the principal diagnosis, J22 groups to MS-DRG 205 or 206 (v44.0). Which one applies depends on procedures performed, secondary diagnoses (CC/MCC), and the patient's age and discharge status.
Related conditions
Grouped by AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR), which sorts every diagnosis code into clinically meaningful categories.
J22 is in Other specified and unspecified lower respiratory disease (RSP016, its default category), with 78 codes. Others in it:
Medicare coverage articles listing J22
These 3 Medicare billing and coding articles list J22 as a diagnosis that supports medical necessity for the services they cover. From the CMS Medicare Coverage Database; check your own contractor's article before billing.
Other codes that refer to J22
Notes on these codes point to J22.
About the condition
Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.
Lung Diseases
When you breathe, your lungs take in oxygen from the air and deliver it to the bloodstream. The cells in your body need oxygen to work and grow. During a normal day, you breathe nearly 25,000 times. People with lung disease have difficulty breathing. Millions of people in the U.S. have lung disease. If all types of lung disease are lumped together, it is the number three killer in the United States.
Read more about lung diseases on MedlinePlusCode history
Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. No changes since.
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).
- 519.8 Other diseases of respiratory system, not elsewhere classified (approximate)