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H95.812 ICD-10-CM Code: Postprocedural stenosis of left external ear canal

Compare with another code for H95.812Check this code on a claim

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

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 Excludes2

Billable · FY2027A valid, specific ICD-10-CM code, reportable for dates of service in FY2027.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

Excludes2from H95.8Not included here; may be reported together
  • postprocedural complications and disorders following mastoidectomy (H95.0-, H95.1-)

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 8: Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid ProcessH95 Intraoperative and postprocedural complications and disorders of ear and mastoid process, not elsewhere classifiedH95.8 Other intraoperative and postprocedural complications and disorders of the ear and mastoid process, not elsewhere classifiedH95.81 Postprocedural stenosis of external ear canal

Most relevant related codes MedCoder-derived

Read off the official notes above and this code’s own position in the tabular list. Which to report is a documentation question; Compare shows the two side by side.

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

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 v44, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 919 — COMPLICATIONS OF TREATMENT WITH MCC (MDC 21)
  • MS-DRG 920 — COMPLICATIONS OF TREATMENT WITH CC (MDC 21)
  • MS-DRG 921 — COMPLICATIONS OF TREATMENT WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 21)

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 H95.812 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum

Notes without a marker are published on H95.812 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 H95.8

Coder workflow for H95.812

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

Before you code H95.812

  1. Laterality is coded in this family. Confirm the side documented — right, left, or bilateral — and select the matching code (this page’s code: left). 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).

    ReviewH95.811 · right, H95.819 · unspecified

    Guide: Laterality coding →

Choose the right path

  1. 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.

    ReviewH95.811 · right, H95.819 · unspecified

Consider H95.812. 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).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes2 — not part of H95.812(1 note)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in H95.812. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareH95.0, H95.1

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

Coding decision scenarios

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

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).

ReviewH95.811 · right, H95.819 · unspecified

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.

Don’t confuse H95.812 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of H95.812 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • H95.819— Specificity relationship (Review)

    Overlapping diagnoses in the same category.

    Overlapping codes in the same category — the documentation decides which is the more specific fit.

    What moves you there: A record that documents no more than “Postprocedural stenosis of unspecified external ear canal” takes H95.819; specificity in the record moves it back here.

    Full comparison: H95.812 vs H95.819 →

  • H95.811— Laterality relationship (Review)

    Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.

    The same condition with a different side named (the opposite side, both sides, or none); the documented side decides, and a bilateral code, where one exists, replaces the pair when both sides are documented.

    What moves you there: A documented right side moves the case to H95.811.

    Full comparison: H95.812 vs H95.811 →

  • H95.0— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of postprocedural complications and disorders following mastoidectomy adds H95.0; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: H95.812 vs H95.0 →

  • H95.1— Excludes2 relationship (Informational)

    Distinct conditions — both may be reported.

    A distinct condition — both may be reported when both are documented.

    What moves you there: Documentation of postprocedural complications and disorders following mastoidectomy adds H95.1; it is not part of this code and both may be reported when both are documented.

    Full comparison: H95.812 vs H95.1 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Postprocedural stenosis of left external ear canal is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (H95.812).

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

  • CC as a secondary diagnosis (FY2027). Can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier.

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-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name H95.812 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 1 Excludes1 note: H61.3 — Acquired stenosis of external ear canal (via H95.81.-).

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2027 MS-DRG: CC — Complication or Comorbidity. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, this code raises the stay's MS-DRG severity tier — except when the principal diagnosis is one of 48 clinically related codes on its CMS exclusion list.

Named in the grouper logic of 3 MS-DRGs: DRG 919 (MDC 21), DRG 920 (MDC 21), DRG 921 (MDC 21).

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

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):EAR005 — Postprocedural or postoperative ear and/or mastoid process complication (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 process (MS-DRG)

Acts as CC — raises the severity of other admissions. CMS groups these diagnoses into one MS-DRG principal-diagnosis exclusion process — a CC/MCC on this list never raises severity when the principal diagnosis is also on it.

H59.092 — Other disorders of the left eye following cataract surgery, H59.093 — Other disorders of the eye following cataract surgery, bilateral, H59.099 — Other disorders of unspecified eye following cataract surgery, H59.811 — Chorioretinal scars after surgery for detachment, right eye, H59.812 — Chorioretinal scars after surgery for detachment, left eye, H59.813 — Chorioretinal scars after surgery for detachment, bilateral, H59.819 — Chorioretinal scars after surgery for detachment, unspecified eye, H59.88 — Other intraoperative complications of eye and adnexa, not elsewhere classified, H59.89 — Other postprocedural complications and disorders of eye and adnexa, not elsewhere classified, H95.811 — Postprocedural stenosis of right external ear canal, H95.813 — Postprocedural stenosis of external ear canal, bilateral, H95.819 — Postprocedural stenosis of unspecified external ear canal, H95.88 — Other intraoperative complications and disorders of the ear and mastoid process, not elsewhere classified, H95.89 — Other postprocedural complications and disorders of the ear and mastoid process, not elsewhere classified, I97.3 — Postprocedural hypertension, L76.81 — Other intraoperative complications of skin and subcutaneous tissue, L76.82 — Other postprocedural complications of skin and subcutaneous tissue, M96.89 — Other intraoperative and postprocedural complications and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, N98.1 — Hyperstimulation of ovaries, N98.2 — Complications of attempted introduction of fertilized ovum following in vitro fertilization, +27 more

Same condition, different side

Same title, differing only in which side of the body it names: right, left, bilateral or unspecified.

H95.811 — Postprocedural stenosis of right external ear canal (right)Compare H95.812 vs H95.811 →, H95.819 — Postprocedural stenosis of unspecified external ear canal (unspecified)Compare H95.812 vs H95.819 →

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Postprocedural or postoperative ear and/or mastoid process complication).

H95.139 — Mucosal cyst of postmastoidectomy cavity, unspecified ear, H95.191 — Other disorders following mastoidectomy, right ear, H95.192 — Other disorders following mastoidectomy, left ear, H95.193 — Other disorders following mastoidectomy, bilateral ears, H95.199 — Other disorders following mastoidectomy, unspecified ear, H95.21 — Intraoperative hemorrhage and hematoma of ear and mastoid process complicating a procedure on the ear and mastoid process, H95.22 — Intraoperative hemorrhage and hematoma of ear and mastoid process complicating other procedure, H95.31 — Accidental puncture and laceration of the ear and mastoid process during a procedure on the ear and mastoid process, H95.32 — Accidental puncture and laceration of the ear and mastoid process during other procedure, H95.41 — Postprocedural hemorrhage of ear and mastoid process following a procedure on the ear and mastoid process, H95.42 — Postprocedural hemorrhage of ear and mastoid process following other procedure, H95.51 — Postprocedural hematoma of ear and mastoid process following a procedure on the ear and mastoid process, H95.52 — Postprocedural hematoma of ear and mastoid process following other procedure, H95.53 — Postprocedural seroma of ear and mastoid process following a procedure on the ear and mastoid process, H95.54 — Postprocedural seroma of ear and mastoid process following other procedure, H95.811 — Postprocedural stenosis of right external ear canal, H95.813 — Postprocedural stenosis of external ear canal, bilateral, H95.819 — Postprocedural stenosis of unspecified external ear canal, H95.88 — Other intraoperative complications and disorders of the ear and mastoid process, not elsewhere classified, H95.89 — Other postprocedural complications and disorders of the ear and mastoid process, not elsewhere classified, +15 more

Same Index main term, other category

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

G91.1 — Obstructive hydrocephalus (aqueduct of Sylvius, acquired), G93.89 — Other specified disorders of brain (brain), H04.54 — Stenosis of lacrimal canaliculi (lacrimal, canaliculi), H04.55 — Acquired stenosis of nasolacrimal duct (lacrimal, duct), H04.56 — Stenosis of lacrimal punctum (lacrimal, punctum), H04.57 — Stenosis of lacrimal sac (lacrimal, sac), H61.30 — Acquired stenosis of external ear canal, unspecified (external ear canal), H61.31 — Acquired stenosis of external ear canal secondary to trauma (external ear canal, due to, trauma), H61.32 — Acquired stenosis of external ear canal secondary to inflammation and infection (external ear canal, due to, inflammation), H61.39 — Other acquired stenosis of external ear canal (external ear canal, specified cause NEC), I01.1 — Acute rheumatic endocarditis (mitral, active or acute), I02.0 — Rheumatic chorea with heart involvement (mitral, active or acute, with rheumatic or Sydenham's chorea), I05.0 — Rheumatic mitral stenosis (mitral), I05.2 — Rheumatic mitral stenosis with insufficiency (mitral, with, incompetency, insufficiency or regurgitation), I06.0 — Rheumatic aortic stenosis (aortic, rheumatic), I06.2 — Rheumatic aortic stenosis with insufficiency (aortic, rheumatic, with, incompetency, insufficiency or regurgitation), I07.0 — Rheumatic tricuspid stenosis (tricuspid), I07.2 — Rheumatic tricuspid stenosis and insufficiency (tricuspid, with, incompetency, insufficiency or regurgitation), I08.0 — Rheumatic disorders of both mitral and aortic valves (mitral, with, aortic valve disease), I08.1 — Rheumatic disorders of both mitral and tricuspid valves (tricuspid, with, mitraldisease), +169 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of H95.812 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.

Run H95.812 with this related code in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Clinical classification (CCSR)

MS-DRG Grouper

MDC crossing

  • MDC 21 — Injuries, Poisonings and Toxic Effects of Drugs[MDC crossing]: “Injuries, Poisonings and Toxic Effects of Drugs — 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. 32,063 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027

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

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

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 FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2027), quoted by section Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 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 — v44 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-derived 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 editorial 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.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

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. "H95.812 — Postprocedural stenosis of left external ear canal." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/h95.812-postprocedural-stenosis-of-left-external-ear-canal

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Postprocedural stenosis of left external ear canal

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, 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 H95.812 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the H95 family