H44.003 — Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral
Is H44.003 billable?
Yes, but H44.003 is an unspecified code. H44.003 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H44.003 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 H44.003 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
H44.003 at a glance
| Code | H44.003 |
|---|---|
| Description | Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does H44.003 group to?
H44.003 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.
- 121Acute Major Eye Infections with CC/MCCmedical
- 122Acute Major Eye Infections without CC/MCCmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, H44.003 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is H44.003 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
The Alphabetic Index lists these routes under H44.00, the nearest indexed parent of H44.003. Use them to find the family, then select the specific code.
- Endophthalmitis › purulent (acute) (infective) (metastatic) (subacute)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from H44.0
The conditions below can never be reported together with H44.003 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- bleb associated endophthalmitis (H59.4-)
Use additional code — inherited from H44.0
Report an additional code alongside H44.003 to fully describe the condition. H44.003 is sequenced first.
- code to identify organism
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 7
The conditions below are not part of H44.003, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H44.003 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 H44.003 existed?
H44.003 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.