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H70.221 vs H70.229

H70.221 (Chronic petrositis, right ear) compared with H70.229 (Chronic petrositis, unspecified ear), from the official CMS tabular data. H70.221 and H70.229 code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

H70.221
Right
Chronic petrositis, right ear
H70.229
Unspecified
Chronic petrositis, unspecified 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. H70.221 and H70.229 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

H70.221Chronic petrositis, right earH70.229Chronic petrositis, unspecified ear
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationH60-H95 — Diseases of the ear and mastoid processH60-H95 — Diseases of the ear and mastoid process
DefinitionChronic petrositis, right ear is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H70.221).Chronic petrositis, unspecified ear is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H70.229).

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