J96.00 Acute respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia

The ICD-10-CM code for Acute respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia is J96.00 (FY2026). It is a billable, claim-ready diagnosis code.

Classification

Chapter

10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)

Section

J96-J99: Other diseases of the respiratory system (J96-J99)

Category J96

17 codes (12 billable)

FY2026 Status

Stable since FY2024

Also Known As

ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index entries that lead to J96.00:

• Failure, failed › respiration, respiratory › acute

U.S. Hospital Utilization

• An estimated 157,265 U.S. inpatient stays in 2023 included J96.00 among the documented diagnoses.
• 11,380 stays listed it as the principal diagnosis.

Source: National Inpatient Sample (NIS), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2016–2023. National survey-weighted estimates.

Official Coding Guidelines

Acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19: U07.1 + J96.0-

(v) Acute respiratory failure For acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19, assign code U07.1, and code J96.0-, Acute respiratory failure.

Vaping-related disorder—U07.0 principal; add manifestation codes

e. Vaping-related disorders For patients presenting with condition(s) related to vaping, assign code U07.0, Vaping-related disorder, as the principal diagnosis. For lung injury due to vaping, assign only code U07.0. Assign additional codes for other manifestations, such as acute respiratory failure (subcategory J96.0-) or pneumonitis (code J68.0).

Source: CMS — ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY2026

References

• CMS — ICD-10-CM Official Code Set and Guidelines, FY2026
• CDC/NCHS — ICD-10-CM Files and Browser Tool
• AHRQ — HCUP National Inpatient Sample, Frequencies by Diagnosis Code (2016–2023)