S00.4 — Superficial injury of ear

Not billable

Is S00.4 billable?

No — S00.4 is a non-billable header code. S00.4 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 60 billable codes beneath S00.4.

Billable codes under this header

S00.4 at a glance

Code	S00.4
Description	Superficial injury of ear
Billable	No — header code
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from S00

The conditions below can never be reported together with S00.4 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

diffuse cerebral contusion (S06.2-)
focal cerebral contusion (S06.3-)
injury of eye and orbit (S05.-)
open wound of head (S01.-)

Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 19

Report an additional code alongside S00.4 to fully describe the condition. S00.4 is sequenced first.

code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 19

The conditions below are not part of S00.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S00.4 and the excluded code may both be reported.

birth trauma (P10-P15)
obstetric trauma (O70-O71)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from S00-S09

The conditions below are not part of S00.4, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, S00.4 and the excluded code may both be reported.

burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
effects of foreign body in ear (T16)
effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
effects of foreign body in mouth NOS (T18.0)
effects of foreign body in nose (T17.0-T17.1)
effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
effects of foreign body on external eye (T15.-)
frostbite (T33-T34)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)

Code also — inherited from S00-S09

Two codes may be needed to describe the condition fully. Whether S00.4 is sequenced first depends on the reason for the encounter.

for any associated infection

What codes fall under S00.4? (8)

How long has S00.4 existed?

S00.4 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.