H61.002 — Unspecified perichondritis of left external ear
Is H61.002 billable?
Yes, but H61.002 is an unspecified code.
H61.002 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H61.002 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 H61.002 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
H61.002 at a glance
| Code | H61.002 |
|---|---|
| Description | Unspecified perichondritis of left external ear |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does H61.002 group to?
H61.002 sits in MDC 03 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.
- 152Otitis Media and URI with MCCmedical
- 153Otitis Media and URI without MCCmedical
How is H61.002 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
The Alphabetic Index lists these routes under H61.00, the nearest indexed parent of H61.002. Use them to find the family, then select the specific code.
- Perichondritis › ear (external)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 8
The conditions below are not part of H61.002, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H61.002 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)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- 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)
How long has H61.002 existed?
H61.002 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.