H61.399 — Other acquired stenosis of external ear canal, unspecified ear
Is H61.399 billable?
Yes, but H61.399 is an unspecified code. H61.399 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H61.399 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 H61.399 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
H61.399 at a glance
| Code | H61.399 |
|---|---|
| Description | Other acquired stenosis of external ear canal, unspecified ear |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does H61.399 group to?
H61.399 sits in MDC 03 and helps define the logic of 3 MS-DRGs (version 44, FY2027). Which one a stay actually groups to also depends on procedures and secondary diagnoses.
- 154Other Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Diagnoses with MCCmedical
- 155Other Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Diagnoses with CCmedical
- 156Other Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Diagnoses without CC/MCCmedical
How is H61.399 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
The Alphabetic Index lists these routes under H61.39, the nearest indexed parent of H61.399. Use them to find the family, then select the specific code.
- Stenosis, stenotic › external ear canal › specified cause NEC (cicatricial)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from H61.3
The conditions below can never be reported together with H61.399 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- postprocedural stenosis of external ear canal (H95.81-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 8
The conditions below are not part of H61.399, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H61.399 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 H61.399 existed?
H61.399 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.