H60.20
Malignant otitis externa, unspecified ear
H60.20 (also written H6020) is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for malignant otitis externa, unspecified ear. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. It is one of the 72 codes in category H60 (Otitis externa). Its coding notes include 8 Excludes2 entries.
Excludes2
Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.
Also from chapter/block level (8 notes)
- 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)
Care settings
How CMS programs treat this code. These are CMS claim edits and list entries, not coverage or eligibility rules.
Hospital CC
Counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) when reported as a secondary diagnosis on an inpatient claim. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 20 codes in its exclusion list. Some MS-DRGs also ignore a CC or MCC that defines the DRG.
Source: CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, effective October 1, 2026, Appendix CNotes
Also from chapter/block level (1 note)
- Use an external cause code following the code for the ear condition, if applicable, to identify the cause of the ear condition