J44.1 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) exacerbation

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026. Acts as a Complication or Comorbidity (CC) as a secondary diagnosis.

Applicable to

• Decompensated COPD
• Decompensated COPD with (acute) exacerbation

Excludes2 (not included here)

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] with acute bronchitis (J44.0)
• lung diseases due to external agents (J60-J70)

Applies from J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Includes

• 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

Excludes2 (not included here)

• bronchiectasis (J47.-)
• chronic bronchitis NOS (J42)
• chronic simple and mucopurulent bronchitis (J41.-)
• chronic tracheitis (J42)
• chronic tracheobronchitis (J42)
• emphysema without chronic bronchitis (J43.-)

Code also

• type of asthma, if applicable (J45.-)

Risk adjustment (HCC)

• CMS-HCC V28: HCC 280 — Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Interstitial Lung Disorders, and Other Chronic Lung Disorders
• CMS-HCC V22: HCC 111 — Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• RxHCC V08: HCC 229 — Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Bronchiectasis, and Other Asthma
• ESRD V24: HCC 111

MS-DRG index

Defines the logic of DRG(s) 190-192 in MDC 04.

Approximate ICD-9-CM (GEMs)

• 491.21 Obstructive chronic bronchitis with (acute) exacerbation (approximate)
• 493.22 Chronic obstructive asthma with (acute) exacerbation (approximate)

Code annotations containing back-references to J44.1

Back-references to J44

• Code First: I21.A1 Myocardial infarction type 2 ("chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (J44.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: J20 Acute bronchitis ("chronic obstructive bronchitis (J44.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: J20 Acute bronchitis ("chronic obstructive tracheobronchitis (J44.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: J41 Simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis ("chronic obstructive bronchitis (J44.-)")
• Type 1 Excludes: J42 Unspecified chronic bronchitis ("chronic asthmatic bronchitis (J44.-)")
• Type 1 Excludes: J42 Unspecified chronic bronchitis ("chronic bronchitis with airways obstruction (J44.-)")
• Type 1 Excludes: J42 Unspecified chronic bronchitis ("chronic emphysematous bronchitis (J44.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: J43 Emphysema ("emphysema with chronic (obstructive) bronchitis (J44.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: J43 Emphysema ("emphysematous (obstructive) bronchitis (J44.-)")

Diagnosis Index entries for J44.1

• Asthma, asthmatic (bronchial) (catarrh) (spasmodic) › with › chronic obstructive bronchitis › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Asthma, asthmatic (bronchial) (catarrh) (spasmodic) › with › chronic obstructive pulmonary disease › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Asthma, asthmatic (bronchial) (catarrh) (spasmodic) › chronic obstructive › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Bronchitis (diffuse) (fibrinous) (hypostatic) (infective) (membranous) › asthmatic › chronic › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Disease, diseased › lung › obstructive (chronic) › with › acute › exacerbation NEC
• Disease, diseased › lung › obstructive (chronic) › with › bronchitis › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Disease, diseased › lung › obstructive (chronic) › decompensated
• Disease, diseased › lung › obstructive (chronic) › decompensated › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Disease, diseased › pulmonary › chronic obstructive › with › exacerbation (acute)
• Disease, diseased › pulmonary › chronic obstructive › decompensated
• Disease, diseased › pulmonary › chronic obstructive › decompensated › with › exacerbation (acute)

Nearby codes

• J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• J44.0 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection
• J44.1 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) exacerbation (this code)
• J44.8 Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• J44.81 Bronchiolitis obliterans and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome
• J44.89 Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• J44.9 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified