Skip to main content

H73.10 ICD-10-CM Code: Chronic myringitis, unspecified ear

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

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes1

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.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for H73.10 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 H73.10 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from H73.1

Coder workflow for H73.10

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

Before you code H73.10

  1. Unspecified does not mean incorrect. When the record gives no greater specificity, H73.10 may be the appropriate code. Check the record for detail that supports a more specific sibling — in this subcategory the siblings differ by acute versus chronic. 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).

    ReviewH73.11, H73.12, H73.13

    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: unspecified). 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).

    ReviewH73.11 · right, H73.12 · left

    Guide: Laterality coding →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with H73.10. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

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 — H73.10 is appropriate when the documentation goes no further.

    ReviewH73.11, H73.12, H73.13

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in H73.10’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewH65, H66

  3. 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.

    ReviewH73.11 · right, H73.12 · left

Consider H73.10. 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).
Acuity
Acute or chronic as documented; when both are documented and separate codes exist, both are reported with the acute code first (Guidelines I.B.8).
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

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting H73.10(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with H73.10: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareH65, H66

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

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).

ReviewH73.11, H73.12, H73.13

Documentation: Both the condition H73.10 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewH65, H66

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).

ReviewH73.11 · right, H73.12 · left

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

Chronic myringitis, unspecified ear is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H73.10).

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 condition, opposite side

Same category and title, differing only in which side of the body is affected.

H73.11 — Chronic myringitis, right ear (right)Compare H73.10 vs H73.11 →, H73.12 — Chronic myringitis, left ear (left)Compare H73.10 vs H73.12 →

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)).

H73.003 — Acute myringitis, bilateral, H73.009 — Acute myringitis, unspecified ear, H73.011 — Bullous myringitis, right ear, H73.012 — Bullous myringitis, left ear, H73.013 — Bullous myringitis, bilateral, H73.019 — Bullous myringitis, unspecified ear, H73.091 — Other acute myringitis, right ear, H73.092 — Other acute myringitis, left ear, H73.093 — Other acute myringitis, bilateral, H73.099 — Other acute myringitis, unspecified ear, H73.11 — Chronic myringitis, right ear, H73.12 — Chronic myringitis, left ear, H73.13 — Chronic myringitis, bilateral, H73.20 — Unspecified myringitis, unspecified ear, H73.21 — Unspecified myringitis, right ear, H73.22 — Unspecified myringitis, left ear, H73.23 — Unspecified myringitis, bilateral, H73.811 — Atrophic flaccid tympanic membrane, right ear, H73.812 — Atrophic flaccid tympanic membrane, left ear, H73.813 — Atrophic flaccid tympanic membrane, bilateral, +204 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of H73.10 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 (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
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. "H73.10 — Chronic myringitis, unspecified ear." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/h73.10-chronic-myringitis-unspecified-ear

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Chronic myringitis, unspecified ear

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 H73.10 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the H73 family