J85 - Abscess of lung and mediastinum

Version 2023
Non-Billable Code
ICD-10:J85
Short Description:Abscess of lung and mediastinum
Long Description:Abscess of lung and mediastinum
Status: Not Valid for Submission
Version:ICD-10-CM 2023
Code Classification:
  • Diseases of the respiratory system (J00–J99)
    • Suppurative and necrotic conditions of the lower respiratory tract (J85-J86)
      • Abscess of lung and mediastinum (J85)

J85 is a non-specific and non-billable ICD-10 code code, consider using a code with a higher level of specificity for a diagnosis of abscess of lung and mediastinum. The code is not specific and is NOT valid for the year 2023 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. Category or Header define the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th characters.

Specific Coding for Abscess of lung and mediastinum

Non-specific codes like J85 require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10 codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for abscess of lung and mediastinum:

  • BILLABLE CODE - Use J85.0 for Gangrene and necrosis of lung
  • BILLABLE CODE - Use J85.1 for Abscess of lung with pneumonia
  • BILLABLE CODE - Use J85.2 for Abscess of lung without pneumonia
  • BILLABLE CODE - Use J85.3 for Abscess of mediastinum

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10 codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more. The following references are applicable to this diagnosis code:


Use Additional Code

Use Additional Code
The “use additional code” indicates that a secondary code could be used to further specify the patient’s condition. This note is not mandatory and is only used if enough information is available to assign an additional code.

Patient Education


Abscess

An abscess is a pocket of pus. You can get an abscess almost anywhere in your body. When an area of your body becomes infected, your body's immune system tries to fight the infection. White blood cells go to the infected area, collect within the damaged tissue, and cause inflammation. During this process, pus forms. Pus is a mixture of living and dead white blood cells, germs, and dead tissue.

Bacteria, viruses, parasites and swallowed objects can all lead to abscesses. Skin abscesses are easy to detect. They are red, raised and painful. Abscesses inside your body may not be obvious and can damage organs, including the brain, lungs and others. Treatments include drainage and antibiotics.


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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.

The term lung disease refers to many disorders affecting the lungs, such as asthma, COPD, infections like influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis, lung cancer, and many other breathing problems. Some lung diseases can lead to respiratory failure.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health


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Code History

Previous Code: J84.9

Next Code: J85.0