H65.1 vs H66.9
H65.1 (Other acute nonsuppurative otitis media) compared with H66.9 (Otitis media, unspecified), 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. H65.1 carries an Excludes1 note covering H66.9: “otitis media (acute) NOS (H66.9)”
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
| H65.1Other acute nonsuppurative otitis media | H66.9Otitis media, unspecified | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Non-billable header |
| Classification | H60-H95 — Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process (H60-H95) | H60-H95 — Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process (H60-H95) |
| Definition | Other acute nonsuppurative otitis media is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H65.1). | Otitis media, unspecified is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H66.9). |
| Includes | nonsuppurative otitis media with myringitis | suppurative and unspecified otitis media with myringitis Otitis media NOS Acute otitis media NOS Chronic otitis media NOS |
| Use additional code | code for any associated perforated tympanic membrane (H72.-) code, if applicable, to identify: exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22) | code for any associated perforated tympanic membrane (H72.-) code to identify: exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22) |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources