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H68.003 ICD-10-CM Code: Unspecified Eustachian salpingitis, bilateral

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

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 152 — OTITIS MEDIA AND URI WITH MCC (MDC 03)
  • MS-DRG 153 — OTITIS MEDIA AND URI WITHOUT MCC (MDC 03)

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.

Coder workflow for H68.003

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

Before you code H68.003

  1. Unspecified does not mean incorrect. When the record gives no greater specificity, H68.003 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).

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

  2. Laterality is coded in this family. Confirm the side documented — right, left, or bilateral — and select the matching code (this page’s code: bilateral). The unspecified-side code applies only when the record states no side. Laterality is assigned from the documented side; where a bilateral code exists and both sides are documented, it is used instead of two unilateral codes (Guidelines I.B.13).

    See the relationships section · Guide: Laterality coding →

Choose the right path

  1. Does the record document the detail a more specific sibling code needs?
    Yes → Review the specific siblings in this subcategory.
    No → Continue — H68.003 is appropriate when the documentation goes no further.
  2. Is the side documented?
    Yes → Select the code for the documented side (or the bilateral code when both sides are documented and one exists).
    No → Use the unspecified-side code only when the record states no side; a query is the alternative.

Consider H68.003. 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).
Laterality
Right, left or bilateral as documented; unspecified only when the record states no side (Guidelines I.B.13).
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 subcategory for a sibling that names the missing detail.

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).

Documentation: The record documents the condition on one side only.

Coding question: Which code in this family applies?

Path: Select the sibling code for the documented side.

Reason: Laterality is assigned from the documented side; the unspecified-side code is for records that state no side (Guidelines I.B.13).

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 Eustachian salpingitis, bilateral is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H68.003).

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

Official Coding Guidelines

No excerpt in the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines names this code specifically. Its chapter carries only this chapter-wide note:

Chapter 8: Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process (H60-H95)

Reserved for future guideline expansion

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 152 (MDC 03), DRG 153 (MDC 03).

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

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):EAR002 — Diseases of middle ear and mastoid (except otitis media) (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 (Diseases of middle ear and mastoid (except otitis media)).

A18.6 — Tuberculosis of (inner) (middle) ear, H68.001 — Unspecified Eustachian salpingitis, right ear, H68.002 — Unspecified Eustachian salpingitis, left ear, H68.009 — Unspecified Eustachian salpingitis, unspecified ear, H68.011 — Acute Eustachian salpingitis, right ear, H68.012 — Acute Eustachian salpingitis, left ear, H68.013 — Acute Eustachian salpingitis, bilateral, H68.019 — Acute Eustachian salpingitis, unspecified ear, H68.021 — Chronic Eustachian salpingitis, right ear, H68.022 — Chronic Eustachian salpingitis, left ear, H68.023 — Chronic Eustachian salpingitis, bilateral, H68.029 — Chronic Eustachian salpingitis, unspecified ear, H68.101 — Unspecified obstruction of Eustachian tube, right ear, H68.102 — Unspecified obstruction of Eustachian tube, left ear, H68.103 — Unspecified obstruction of Eustachian tube, bilateral, H68.109 — Unspecified obstruction of Eustachian tube, unspecified ear, H68.111 — Osseous obstruction of Eustachian tube, right ear, H68.112 — Osseous obstruction of Eustachian tube, left ear, H68.113 — Osseous obstruction of Eustachian tube, bilateral, H68.119 — Osseous obstruction of Eustachian tube, unspecified ear, +204 more

Same Index main term, other category

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

A18.17 — Tuberculous female pelvic inflammatory disease (tuberculous), A54.24 — Gonococcal female pelvic inflammatory disease (venereal), A56.11 — Chlamydial female pelvic inflammatory disease (chlamydial), N70.01 — Acute salpingitis (acute), N70.03 — Acute salpingitis and oophoritis (acute, with oophoritis), N70.11 — Chronic salpingitis (chronic), N70.13 — Chronic salpingitis and oophoritis (chronic, with oophoritis), N70.91 — Salpingitis, unspecified, N70.93 — Salpingitis and oophoritis, unspecified (with oophoritis)

Contextual Map

Every relationship of H68.003 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 03 — Diseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat — 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. 5,147 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2026

Nearest codes (37)

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
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2026), quoted by section 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. "H68.003 — Unspecified Eustachian salpingitis, bilateral." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/h68.003-unspecified-eustachian-salpingitis-bilateral

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Unspecified Eustachian salpingitis, bilateral

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 H68.003 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the H68 family