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H61.011 vs H61.012

H61.011 (Acute perichondritis of right external ear) compared with H61.012 (Acute perichondritis of left external ear), from the official CMS tabular data. H61.011 and H61.012 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

H61.011
Right
Acute perichondritis of right external ear
H61.012
Left
Acute perichondritis of left external ear

Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.

These codes share a category and title and differ only in the side affected. The documentation decides which applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Source: ICD-10-CM tabular list (laterality variant derived from the code title)

Can these codes be reported together?

Same condition, opposite side. H61.011 and H61.012 name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.

Same category and title, differing only in which side is affected — the documentation decides which one applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Side by side

H61.011Acute perichondritis of right external earH61.012Acute perichondritis of left external ear
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationH60-H95 — Diseases of the ear and mastoid processH60-H95 — Diseases of the ear and mastoid process
DefinitionAcute perichondritis of right external ear is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H61.011).Acute perichondritis of left external ear is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H61.012).

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