2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H44.003Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral
ICD-10-CM Codes›H00–H59›H43-H44›H44
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- Not Chronic
H44.003 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 121 through 122. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) and moves an inpatient stay to a higher severity level within its MS-DRG family. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 29 closely related codes. Coders also document this condition as acute endophthalmitis. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Uveitis and ocular inflammation.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Acute endophthalmitis
- Acute endophthalmitis of left eye
- Acute endophthalmitis of right eye
- Bilateral acute endophthalmitis of eyes
- Bilateral endophthalmitis of eyes
- Bilateral purulent endophthalmitis
- Infection of bilateral eyes
- Left purulent endophthalmitis
- Purulent endophthalmitis
- Right purulent endophthalmitis
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to H44.003: its own notes plus those printed at H44.0, H44, and Chapter 7. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Includes
Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.
- disorders affecting multiple structures of eye
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may 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)
- diabetes mellitus related eye conditions (E09.3-, E10.3-, E11.3-, E13.3-)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury (trauma) of eye and orbit (S05.-)
- 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)
- syphilis related eye disorders (A50.01, A50.3-, A51.43, A52.71)
Use Additional Code
Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.
- code to identify organism
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- Use an external cause code following the code for the eye condition, if applicable, to identify the cause of the eye condition
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Eye Infections
Your eyes can get infections from bacteria, fungi, or viruses. Eye infections can occur in different parts of the eye and can affect just one eye or both. Two common eye infections are:
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert H44.003 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About H44.003Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral?
The ICD-10-CM code for unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral is H44.003 (sometimes written as H44003). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is H44.003 (Unspecified purulent endophthalmitis) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does H44.003 group to?
When unspecified purulent endophthalmitis, bilateral is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 122, 121, with relative weights from 0.7403 to 1.2249 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is H44.003 a CC or MCC?
CMS lists H44.003 as a CC (complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it moves the inpatient stay to a higher-weighted DRG within its severity family. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 29 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can H44.003 be reported with a code from H59.4?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at H44.0, which applies to H44.003, lists "bleb associated endophthalmitis (H59.4-)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
