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H21.29 ICD-10-CM Code: Other iris atrophy

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes2

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v43, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 124 — OTHER DISORDERS OF THE EYE WITH MCC OR THROMBOLYTIC AGENT (MDC 02)
  • MS-DRG 125 — OTHER DISORDERS OF THE EYE WITHOUT MCC (MDC 02)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for H21.29 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Notes without a marker are published on H21.29 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Source: inherited from H21

Coder workflow for H21.29

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code H21.29

  1. “Other” (NEC) means the condition is specified in the record but no dedicated code captures it. Confirm the documented form is not one a sibling code names before settling on H21.29; if the record states no specifics at all, the unspecified sibling applies instead. “Other” codes are for documented conditions the classification gives no specific code; “unspecified” codes are for records lacking the detail (Guidelines I.A.9.a, I.A.9.b).

    ReviewH21.24, H21.25, H21.26, H21.27

    See the relationships section · Guide: Other vs unspecified (NEC vs NOS) →

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Any detail beyond this code’s title
What the record states that a more specific sibling code would capture — or its absence, which itself supports the unspecified code.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes2 — not part of H21.29(1 note)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in H21.29. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareH44.1

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Other iris atrophy is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H21.29).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Indexed Clinical Terms (1)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.

Verify Before Coding

  • No Medicare Code Editor or MS-DRG Definitions Manual restrictions apply to this code.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2026)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2026 MS-DRG: not on the CMS CC/MCC list — as a secondary diagnosis this code does not change MS-DRG severity for that release.

Named in the grouper logic of 2 MS-DRGs: DRG 124 (MDC 02), DRG 125 (MDC 02).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):EYE012 — Other specified eye disorders (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Other specified eye disorders).

H21.253 — Iridoschisis, bilateral, H21.259 — Iridoschisis, unspecified eye, H21.261 — Iris atrophy (essential) (progressive), right eye, H21.262 — Iris atrophy (essential) (progressive), left eye, H21.263 — Iris atrophy (essential) (progressive), bilateral, H21.269 — Iris atrophy (essential) (progressive), unspecified eye, H21.271 — Miotic pupillary cyst, right eye, H21.272 — Miotic pupillary cyst, left eye, H21.273 — Miotic pupillary cyst, bilateral, H21.279 — Miotic pupillary cyst, unspecified eye, H21.301 — Idiopathic cysts of iris, ciliary body or anterior chamber, right eye, H21.302 — Idiopathic cysts of iris, ciliary body or anterior chamber, left eye, H21.303 — Idiopathic cysts of iris, ciliary body or anterior chamber, bilateral, H21.309 — Idiopathic cysts of iris, ciliary body or anterior chamber, unspecified eye, H21.311 — Exudative cysts of iris or anterior chamber, right eye, H21.312 — Exudative cysts of iris or anterior chamber, left eye, H21.313 — Exudative cysts of iris or anterior chamber, bilateral, H21.319 — Exudative cysts of iris or anterior chamber, unspecified eye, H21.321 — Implantation cysts of iris, ciliary body or anterior chamber, right eye, H21.322 — Implantation cysts of iris, ciliary body or anterior chamber, left eye, +260 more

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Atrophy, atrophic”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

G52.9 — Cranial nerve disorder, unspecified (nerve, cranial), G58.9 — Mononeuropathy, unspecified (muscle, muscular, neuritic), G60.0 — Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (Charcot-Marie-Tooth), G71.02 — Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (Landouzy-Déjérine), G71.11 — Myotonic muscular dystrophy (myotonia), G95.89 — Other specified diseases of spinal cord (spinal), H04.14 — Primary lacrimal gland atrophy (lacrimal gland), H04.15 — Secondary lacrimal gland atrophy (lacrimal gland, secondary), H05.31 — Atrophy of orbit (orbit), H11.89 — Other specified disorders of conjunctiva (conjunctiva), H31.10 — Unspecified choroidal degeneration (choroid), H31.11 — Age-related choroidal atrophy (choroid, senile), H31.12 — Diffuse secondary atrophy of choroid (choroid, diffuse secondary), H31.23 — Gyrate atrophy, choroid (choroid, gyrate), H35.89 — Other specified retinal disorders (retina, retinal), H44.52 — Atrophy of globe (globe), H47.20 — Unspecified optic atrophy (optic), H47.21 — Primary optic atrophy (optic, primary), H47.22 — Hereditary optic atrophy (Leber's optic), H47.23 — Glaucomatous optic atrophy (optic, glaucomatous), +124 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of H21.29 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Hierarchy

Clinical classification (CCSR)

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 02 — Diseases and Disorders of the Eye[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Eye — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 1,200 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026

Index entries

  • Atrophy, atrophic (of), iris (essential) (progressive), specified NEC[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026

Nearest codes (40)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v43 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "H21.29 — Other iris atrophy." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/h21.29-other-iris-atrophy

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Other iris atrophy

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to H21.29 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the H21 family