H70.819 — Postauricular fistula, unspecified ear
Is H70.819 billable?
Yes, but H70.819 is an unspecified code. H70.819 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H70.819 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 H70.819 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.
H70.819 at a glance
| Code | H70.819 |
|---|---|
| Description | Postauricular fistula, unspecified ear |
| Billable | Yes |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Which MS-DRGs does H70.819 group to?
H70.819 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 H70.819 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
The Alphabetic Index lists these routes under H70.81, the nearest indexed parent of H70.819. Use them to find the family, then select the specific code.
- Fistula › postauricular (cutaneous)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from H70.8
The conditions below can never be reported together with H70.819 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 8
The conditions below are not part of H70.819, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H70.819 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 H70.819 existed?
H70.819 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.