2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code J91.8Pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere
ICD-10-CM Codes›J00–J99›J90-J94›J91
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- Not Chronic
J91.8 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 186 through 188, 791, 793. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) and moves an inpatient stay to a higher severity level within its MS-DRG family. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 29 closely related codes. The code is a manifestation code that cannot be reported as the principal diagnosis. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Pleurisy, pleural effusion and pulmonary collapse.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for J91.8.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Benign asbestos pleural effusion
- Drug-induced pleural effusion
- Meigs' syndrome
- Pleural effusion associated with hepatic disorder
- Pleural effusion associated with pulmonary infection
- Pleural effusion caused by bacteria
- Pleural effusion due to another disorder
- Pleural effusion due to congestive heart failure
- Pleural effusion due to disorder of pancreas
- Pleural effusion due to malignant neoplastic disease
- Pleural effusion due to neoplastic disease
- Pleural effusion due to pancreatitis
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to J91.8: its own notes plus those printed at J91 and Chapter 10. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- smoke inhalation (T59.81-)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Code First
The underlying condition named in the note is sequenced before this code.
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- When a respiratory condition is described as occurring in more than one site and is not specifically indexed, it should be classified to the lower anatomic site (e.g. tracheobronchitis to bronchitis in J40).
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name J91.8, its category, or a range that includes it.
Use Additional Code 3
These codes say to use an additional code from the note, and J91.8 is one of the codes named.
- J09.X2 Influenza due to identified novel influenza A virus with other respiratory manifestationspleural effusion (J91.8)
- J10.1 Influenza due to other identified influenza virus with other respiratory manifestationscode for associated pleural effusion, if applicable (J91.8)
- J11.1 Influenza due to unidentified influenza virus with other respiratory manifestationscode for associated pleural effusion, if applicable (J91.8)
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Pleural Disorders
Your pleura is a large, thin sheet of tissue that wraps around the outside of your lungs and lines the inside of your chest cavity. Between the layers of the pleura is a very thin space. Normally it's filled with a small amount of fluid.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert J91.8 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About J91.8Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere?
The ICD-10-CM code for pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere is J91.8 (sometimes written as J918). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is J91.8 (Pleural effusion in conditions classified elsewhere) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does J91.8 group to?
On inpatient claims, pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere maps to MS-DRG 793, 791, 186, 187, 188, with relative weights from 0.6651 to 4.2192 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is J91.8 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists J91.8 as a CC (complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it moves the inpatient stay to a higher-weighted DRG within its severity family. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 29 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can J91.8 be a principal diagnosis?
No. This is a manifestation code: pleural effusion in other conditions classified elsewhere describes the manifestation of an underlying disease rather than the disease itself, so the underlying condition is sequenced first.
