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H60.9 ICD-10-CM Code: Unspecified otitis externa

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coder workflow for H60.9

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

Before you code H60.9

  1. H60.9 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewH60.90, H60.91, H60.92

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. Unspecified does not mean incorrect. When the record gives no greater specificity, H60.9 may be the appropriate code. Check the record for detail that supports a more specific sibling. An unspecified code is for records that do not provide the detail a more specific code needs; a query, not an assumption, is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).

    ReviewH60.8

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

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath H60.9?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → H60.9 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewH60.90, H60.91, H60.92

  2. Does the record document the detail a more specific sibling code needs?
    Yes → Review the specific siblings in this subcategory.
    No → Continue — H60.9 is appropriate when the documentation goes no further.

    ReviewH60.8

Consider H60.9. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

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.

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: The provider documents the condition in the terms of this code’s title and records no further detail.

Coding question: Is a more specific sibling code supportable?

Path: Review the specific siblings in this subcategory and what each requires the record to state.

Reason: A more specific code needs documentation of the distinguishing element; without it the unspecified code is appropriate, and a provider query is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).

ReviewH60.8

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

Unspecified otitis externa is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (H60.9). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

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

Verify Before Coding

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

Related Codes

Same Index main term, other category

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

A46 — Erysipelas (externa, in, erysipelas), B00.1 — Herpesviral vesicular dermatitis (externa, in, herpesvirus infection), B02.8 — Zoster with other complications (externa, in, zoster), B05.3 — Measles complicated by otitis media (media, in, measles), B34.9 — Viral infection, unspecified (externa, in, viral disease NEC), B36.9 — Superficial mycosis, unspecified (externa, mycotic NEC), B37.84 — Candidal otitis externa (externa, in, candidiasis), B44.89 — Other forms of aspergillosis (externa, in, aspergillosis), B89 — Unspecified parasitic disease (externa, in, parasitic disease NEC), B99 — Other and unspecified infectious diseases (externa, in, infectious disease NEC), H65.0 — Acute serous otitis media (media, nonsuppurative, acute or subacute NEC, serous), H65.11 — Acute and subacute allergic otitis media (mucoid) (sanguinous) (serous) (media, nonsuppurative, acute or subacute NEC, allergic), H65.19 — Other acute nonsuppurative otitis media (media, nonsuppurative, acute or subacute NEC), H65.2 — Chronic serous otitis media (media, nonsuppurative, chronic, serous), H65.3 — Chronic mucoid otitis media (media, nonsuppurative, chronic, mucoid), H65.41 — Chronic allergic otitis media (media, nonsuppurative, chronic, allergic), H65.49 — Other chronic nonsuppurative otitis media (media, nonsuppurative, chronic), H65.9 — Unspecified nonsuppurative otitis media (media, nonsuppurative), H66.00 — Acute suppurative otitis media without spontaneous rupture of ear drum (media, suppurative, acute), H66.01 — Acute suppurative otitis media with spontaneous rupture of ear drum (media, suppurative, acute, with rupture of ear drum), +9 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of H60.9 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

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

Common coding questions

Can H60.9 be billed directly?

No. H60.9 (Unspecified otitis externa) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

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
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. "H60.9 — Unspecified otitis externa." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/h60.9-unspecified-otitis-externa

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Unspecified otitis externa

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 H60.9 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the H60 family