G96.0 vs H92.1

G96.0 (Cerebrospinal fluid leak) compared with H92.1 (Otorrhea), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. H92.1 carries an Excludes1 note covering G96.0: “leakage of cerebrospinal fluid through ear (G96.0)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

	G96.0Cerebrospinal fluid leak	H92.1Otorrhea
Billing status	Non-billable header Report instead: G96.00, G96.01, G96.02, G96.08, G96.09	Non-billable header Report instead: H92.10, H92.11, H92.12, H92.13
Classification	G00-G99 — Diseases of the Nervous System (G00-G99)	H60-H95 — Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process (H60-H95)
Definition	Cerebrospinal fluid leak is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (G96.0).	Otorrhea is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H92.1).

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources