ICD-10-CM Code For Respiratory Tuberculosis: Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group A15 includes tuberculosis of the respiratory system, covering pulmonary tuberculosis and related infections of the lungs and bronchial structures, with distinctions for bacteriologic or histologic confirmation. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document clinical presentations such as active pulmonary tuberculosis, treatment status, and confirmation by laboratory or pathology findings, capturing disease severity, organ involvement, or clinical complexity relevant to this group. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM A15 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Respiratory Tuberculosis: Group Overview policy alerts

Get alerted when relevant policies change without checking for updates manually.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

ICD-10-CM A15: Respiratory Tuberculosis Overview

The diagnoses in this group represent active respiratory tuberculosis infections, primarily involving the lungs and bronchial tree, and include pulmonary tuberculosis with or without bacteriologic confirmation. These conditions affect the respiratory system and may require documentation of bacteriologic, histologic, or clinical evidence. Accurate coding matters for appropriate claim adjudication and ensuring the clinical record reflects disease severity and organ involvement.

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a patient has active pulmonary or respiratory tuberculosis documented in the medical record, including cases with specified bacteriologic or histologic confirmation. Select the specific code that reflects the site of disease, confirmation status, and any documented complications or concurrent findings.

ICD-10-CM Codes

7 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
A15.0	Tuberculosis of lung
A15.4	Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes
A15.5	Tuberculosis of larynx, trachea and bronchus
A15.6	Tuberculous pleurisy
A15.7	Primary respiratory tuberculosis
A15.8	Other respiratory tuberculosis
A15.9	Respiratory tuberculosis unspecified

DRG Codes

6 rows

DRG Code	Description
177	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC
178	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC
179	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations without CC/MCC
974	HIV with Major Related Condition with MCC
975	HIV with Major Related Condition with CC
976	HIV with Major Related Condition without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

A middle-aged patient presents to the emergency department with several weeks of cough productive of blood-tinged sputum, night sweats, weight loss, and fever. Chest radiograph shows cavitary lesions in the upper lobes and sputum acid-fast bacilli smear is positive; the patient is started on anti-tuberculosis therapy and isolated for public health. A code from this group is assigned for pulmonary tuberculosis confirmed by microbiologic testing. Typical codes: A15.0, A15.4
An immigrant clinic follow-up visit for a patient with known pulmonary tuberculosis who has completed several months of treatment but continues to have radiographic changes and intermittent cough without systemic toxicity. The visit documents ongoing management of pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae and monitoring for treatment response; a code from this group is used to document active respiratory tuberculosis requiring continued evaluation and care. Typical codes: A15.6, A15.9
A hospitalized patient admitted for acute respiratory failure and sepsis, with an underlying diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis involving the lungs confirmed by blood and tissue cultures. The acute critical illness is managed in the ICU while anti-tuberculous therapy is initiated; a code from this group is assigned to capture disseminated or severe pulmonary involvement contributing to the hospitalization. Typical codes: A15.8, A15.5

Related Codes

A17-TUBERCULOSIS-OF-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

ICD-10-CM Code For Tuberculosis Of Nervous System: Group Overview

A18-TUBERCULOSIS-OF-OTHER-ORGANS

ICD-10-CM Code For Tuberculosis Of Other Organs: Group Overview

A19-MILIARY-TUBERCULOSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Miliary Tuberculosis: Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Explore openpayer tools

View all tools

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

7 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
A15.0	Tuberculosis of lung
A15.4	Tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes
A15.5	Tuberculosis of larynx, trachea and bronchus
A15.6	Tuberculous pleurisy
A15.7	Primary respiratory tuberculosis
A15.8	Other respiratory tuberculosis
A15.9	Respiratory tuberculosis unspecified

DRG Codes

6 rows

DRG Code	Description
177	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with MCC
178	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations with CC
179	Respiratory Infections and Inflammations without CC/MCC
974	HIV with Major Related Condition with MCC
975	HIV with Major Related Condition with CC
976	HIV with Major Related Condition without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

A middle-aged patient presents to the emergency department with several weeks of cough productive of blood-tinged sputum, night sweats, weight loss, and fever. Chest radiograph shows cavitary lesions in the upper lobes and sputum acid-fast bacilli smear is positive; the patient is started on anti-tuberculosis therapy and isolated for public health. A code from this group is assigned for pulmonary tuberculosis confirmed by microbiologic testing. Typical codes: A15.0, A15.4
An immigrant clinic follow-up visit for a patient with known pulmonary tuberculosis who has completed several months of treatment but continues to have radiographic changes and intermittent cough without systemic toxicity. The visit documents ongoing management of pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae and monitoring for treatment response; a code from this group is used to document active respiratory tuberculosis requiring continued evaluation and care. Typical codes: A15.6, A15.9
A hospitalized patient admitted for acute respiratory failure and sepsis, with an underlying diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis involving the lungs confirmed by blood and tissue cultures. The acute critical illness is managed in the ICU while anti-tuberculous therapy is initiated; a code from this group is assigned to capture disseminated or severe pulmonary involvement contributing to the hospitalization. Typical codes: A15.8, A15.5

Related Codes

A17-TUBERCULOSIS-OF-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

ICD-10-CM Code For Tuberculosis Of Nervous System: Group Overview

A18-TUBERCULOSIS-OF-OTHER-ORGANS

ICD-10-CM Code For Tuberculosis Of Other Organs: Group Overview

A19-MILIARY-TUBERCULOSIS

ICD-10-CM Code For Miliary Tuberculosis: Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-CM Code For Respiratory Tuberculosis: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Respiratory Tuberculosis: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM A15: Respiratory Tuberculosis Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Respiratory Tuberculosis: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Respiratory Tuberculosis: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM A15: Respiratory Tuberculosis Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

What conditions are covered in ICD-10-CM code group `A15`?

How does bacteriologic or histologic confirmation affect coding within `A15`?

Which specific ICD-10-CM codes are listed in this respiratory tuberculosis group?

Why is accurate coding within `A15` important for claims and clinical records?

Which related DRGs may be relevant when `A15` diagnoses are present on a claim?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

What conditions are covered in ICD-10-CM code group `A15`?

How does bacteriologic or histologic confirmation affect coding within `A15`?

Which specific ICD-10-CM codes are listed in this respiratory tuberculosis group?

Why is accurate coding within `A15` important for claims and clinical records?

Which related DRGs may be relevant when `A15` diagnoses are present on a claim?

References