H65.117 — Acute and subacute allergic otitis media (mucoid) (sanguinous) (serous), recurrent, unspecified ear

BillableUnspecified

Is H65.117 billable?

Yes, but H65.117 is an unspecified code. H65.117 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H65.117 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 H65.117 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.

More specific alternatives

H65.117 at a glance

Code	H65.117
Description	Acute and subacute allergic otitis media (mucoid) (sanguinous) (serous), recurrent, unspecified ear
Billable	Yes
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does H65.117 group to?

H65.117 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 H65.117 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

The Alphabetic Index lists these routes under H65.11, the nearest indexed parent of H65.117. Use them to find the family, then select the specific code.

Otitis › media › nonsuppurative › acute or subacute NEC › allergic (acute)
Otitis › media › nonsuppurative › acute or subacute NEC › allergic › recurrent (acute)

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from H65.1

The conditions below can never be reported together with H65.117 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

otitic barotrauma (T70.0)
otitis media (acute) NOS (H66.9)

Use additional code — inherited from H65

Report an additional code alongside H65.117 to fully describe the condition. H65.117 is sequenced first.

code for any associated perforated tympanic membrane (H72.-)
code, if applicable, to identify:
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)
history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
infectious agent (B95-B97)
occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
tobacco dependence (F17.-)
tobacco use (Z72.0)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 8

The conditions below are not part of H65.117, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H65.117 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 H65.117 existed?

H65.117 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.