R06.02: Shortness of breath
Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2027
What ICD-10-CM says
Notes at R06.0, Dyspnea (they apply to every code under it)
Excludes1 (never coded with R06.02)
- tachypnea NOS (R06.82)
- transient tachypnea of newborn (P22.1)
What R06.02 covers
R06.02 is a symptom code for shortness of breath. It is used in primary care, urgent care, emergency and pulmonology when no diagnosis explains the symptom yet.
It sits under R06.0, dyspnea. Its siblings are dyspnea, unspecified (R06.00), orthopnea (R06.01), acute respiratory distress (R06.03) and other forms of dyspnea (R06.09).
Billing and coding notes
The R06.0 subcategory has an excludes1 for tachypnea NOS (R06.82) and transient tachypnea of newborn (P22.1). Rapid breathing is a separate finding and is not coded with R06.02.
Shortness of breath that is part of a confirmed diagnosis, such as a COPD exacerbation or heart failure, is not added as R06.02. Use the code when the symptom is the reason for the visit and the cause is not yet established.
Related codes under R06.0
Questions about R06.02
What is the difference between R06.02 and R06.00?
R06.02 is shortness of breath. R06.00 is dyspnea, unspecified. Code the term the provider uses.
Can R06.02 be coded with J44.1?
Usually not. Shortness of breath is part of a COPD exacerbation, and symptoms that are part of a confirmed diagnosis are not coded separately.
ICD-10-CM in CloudMedico
In CloudMedico, a visit's diagnoses come from the current ICD-10-CM list. For US practices, the visit flags a code that isn't billable on its date, and a superbill made from an invoice carries the visit's diagnoses.
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