H46.9 — Unspecified optic neuritis
Is H46.9 billable?
Yes, but H46.9 is an unspecified code. H46.9 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H46.9 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 H46.9 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
H46.9 at a glance
| Code | H46.9 |
|---|---|
| Description | Unspecified optic neuritis |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does H46.9 group to?
H46.9 sits in MDC 02 and helps define the logic of 1 MS-DRG (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 123Neurological Eye Disordersmedical
As a secondary diagnosis, H46.9 is a complication or comorbidity (CC), which can move a stay into a higher-paying DRG.
How is H46.9 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to H46.9. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Neuritis › optic (rheumatoid)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 7
The conditions below are not part of H46.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H46.9 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)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from H46
The conditions below are not part of H46.9, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H46.9 and the excluded code may both be reported.
How long has H46.9 existed?
H46.9 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.