R05 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code for cough, so it cannot be submitted on claims. Use a more specific code from this category instead, such as R05.1, R05.2, R05.3, and R05.4. As a symptom code, it should not be used as a principal diagnosis once a related definitive diagnosis has been established. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Respiratory signs and symptoms.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Specific Coding for CoughOverview
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to R05: its own notes plus those printed at Chapter 18. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
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.
- cough with hemorrhage (R04.2)
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
- Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
- The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
- (a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
- (b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
- (c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
- (d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
- (e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
- (f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Cough
a sudden, audible expulsion of air from the lungs through a partially closed glottis, preceded by inhalation. it is a protective response that serves to clear the trachea, bronchi, and/or lungs of irritants and secretions, or to prevent aspiration of foreign materials into the lungs.
Patient EducationClinical
Cough
Coughing is a reflex that keeps your throat and airways clear. Although it can be annoying, coughing helps your body heal or protect itself. Coughs can be either acute or chronic. Acute coughs begin suddenly and usually last no more than 2 to 3 weeks. Acute coughs are the kind you most often get with a cold, flu, or acute bronchitis.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert R05 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About R05Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for cough?
R05 is the ICD-10-CM category for cough, but it is a non-billable header: claims need a more specific code from this category, listed on this page.
Is R05 (Cough) a billable code?
No. This is a category header that groups the codes for cough, and headers cannot be submitted on claims. Claims for cough need a more specific code from this category, such as R05.1, R05.2, and R05.3.
Can R05 be a principal diagnosis?
Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the cough is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.
Can R05 be reported with a code from A37.0?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note on R05 lists "paroxysmal cough due to Bordetella pertussis (A37.0-)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of R05?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, cough converts to ICD-9-CM 786.2 (cough). The mapping is a direct match.
