ICDcodes.org
FY2027

H90.5 — Unspecified sensorineural hearing loss

BillableUnspecified

Is H90.5 billable?

Yes, but H90.5 is an unspecified code. H90.5 is a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code for encounters from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. However, H90.5 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 H90.5 — the more specific alternatives are listed below.

H90.5 at a glance

CodeH90.5
DescriptionUnspecified sensorineural hearing loss
BillableYes
Code setICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encountersOctober 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Which MS-DRGs does H90.5 group to?

H90.5 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 H90.5 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to H90.5. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

  • Deafness › congenital (acquired) (complete) (hereditary) (partial)
  • Deafness › sensorineural (acquired) (complete) (hereditary) (partial)
  • Loss › hearing › central NOS (of)
  • Loss › hearing › neural NOS (of)
  • Loss › hearing › perceptive NOS (of)
  • Loss › hearing › sensorineural NOS (of)
  • Loss › hearing › sensory NOS (of)

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with H90.5 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

  • abnormal auditory perception (H93.2-)
  • psychogenic deafness (F44.6)

Inclusion terms

Alternative wording in documentation that is classified to H90.5.

  • Central hearing loss NOS
  • Congenital deafness NOS
  • Neural hearing loss NOS
  • Perceptive hearing loss NOS
  • Sensorineural deafness NOS
  • Sensory hearing loss NOS

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from H90

The conditions below can never be reported together with H90.5 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

  • deaf nonspeaking NEC (H91.3)
  • deafness NOS (H91.9-)
  • hearing loss NOS (H91.9-)
  • noise-induced hearing loss (H83.3-)
  • ototoxic hearing loss (H91.0-)
  • sudden (idiopathic) hearing loss (H91.2-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 8

The conditions below are not part of H90.5, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, H90.5 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 H90.5 existed?

H90.5 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.

Which codes are confused with H90.5?

ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with H90.5 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.

Which conditions are coded to H90.5?

What other codes are in the H90 family? (9)