S09.3 vs S09.91
S09.3 (Other specified and unspecified injury of middle and inner ear) compared with S09.91 (Unspecified injury of ear), 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. S09.3 carries an Excludes1 note covering S09.91: “injury to ear NOS (S09.91-)”
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
| S09.3Other specified and unspecified injury of middle and inner ear | S09.91Unspecified injury of ear | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: S09.301A, S09.301D, S09.301S, S09.302A, S09.302D | Non-billable header |
| Classification | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) |
| Definition | Other specified and unspecified injury of middle and inner ear is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S09.3). | Unspecified injury of ear is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S09.91). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S09 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S09 |
| Includes | injuries of ear injuries of eye injuries of face [any part] injuries of gum | injuries of ear injuries of eye injuries of face [any part] injuries of gum |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources