H17.9 — Unspecified corneal scar and opacity
Is H17.9 billable?
Yes, but H17.9 is an unspecified code. H17.9 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H17.9 is an unspecified or catch-all code. Payers apply additional scrutiny to unspecified codes and many deny them when the medical record supports a more specific option, so check the documentation before selecting H17.9 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
H17.9 at a glance
| Code | H17.9 |
|---|---|
| Description | Unspecified corneal scar and opacity |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does H17.9 group to?
H17.9 sits in MDC 02 and helps define the logic of 2 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 124Other Disorders of the Eye with MCC or Thrombolytic Agentmedical
- 125Other Disorders of the Eye without MCCmedical
How is H17.9 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to H17.9. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Cicatrix › cornea (adherent) (contracted) (painful) (vicious)
- Scar, scarring › cornea
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 7
The conditions below are not part of H17.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H17.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- diabetes mellitus related eye conditions (E09.3-, E10.3-, E11.3-, E13.3-)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury (trauma) of eye and orbit (S05.-)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
- syphilis related eye disorders (A50.01, A50.3-, A51.43, A52.71)
How long has H17.9 existed?
H17.9 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.