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  6. 2024 ICD-10-CM Code H90
Version 2024
Non-Billable Code

2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code H90

Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

ICD-10-CM Code:
H90
ICD-10 Code for:
Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss
Is Billable?
Not Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the ear and mastoid process
    (H60–H95)
    • Other disorders of ear
      (H90-H94)
      • Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss
        (H90)

H90 is a non-specific and non-billable diagnosis code code, consider using a code with a higher level of specificity for a diagnosis of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. The code is not specific and is NOT valid for the year 2024 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. Category or Header define the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th characters.

Specific Coding Applicable to Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

Non-specific codes like H90 require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10-CM codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for conductive and sensorineural hearing loss:

  • Use H90.0 for Conductive hearing loss, bilateral - BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.1 for Conductive hearing loss, unilateral with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.11 for Conductive hearing loss, unilateral, right ear, with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.12 for Conductive hearing loss, unilateral, left ear, with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.2 for Conductive hearing loss, unspecified - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.3 for Sensorineural hearing loss, bilateral - BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.4 for Sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.41 for Sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral, right ear, with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.42 for Sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral, left ear, with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.5 for Unspecified sensorineural hearing loss - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.6 for Mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, bilateral - BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.7 for Mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.71 for Mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral, right ear, with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.72 for Mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral, left ear, with unrestricted hearing on the contralateral side - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use H90.8 for Mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, unspecified - BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.A for Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss with restricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.A1 for Conductive hearing loss, unilateral, with restricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.A2 for Sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral, with restricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • H90.A3 for Mixed conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, unilateral with restricted hearing on the contralateral side - NON-BILLABLE CODE

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Type 1 Excludes

Type 1 Excludes
A type 1 excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • 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

Patient Education


Hearing Disorders and Deafness

It's frustrating to be unable to hear well enough to enjoy talking with friends or family. Hearing disorders make it hard, but not impossible, to hear. They can often be helped. Deafness can keep you from hearing sound at all.

What causes hearing loss? Some possibilities are:

  • Heredity
  • Diseases such as ear infections and meningitis
  • Trauma
  • Certain medicines
  • Long-term exposure to loud noise
  • Aging

There are two main types of hearing loss. One happens when your inner ear or auditory nerve is damaged. This type is usually permanent. The other kind happens when sound waves cannot reach your inner ear. Earwax buildup, fluid, or a punctured eardrum can cause it. Treatment or surgery can often reverse this kind of hearing loss.

Untreated, hearing problems can get worse. If you have trouble hearing, you can get help. Possible treatments include hearing aids, cochlear implants, special training, certain medicines, and surgery.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Nonsyndromic hearing loss

Nonsyndromic hearing loss is a partial or total loss of hearing that is not associated with other signs and symptoms. In contrast, syndromic hearing loss occurs with signs and symptoms affecting other parts of the body.

Nonsyndromic hearing loss can be classified in several different ways. One common way is by the condition's pattern of inheritance: autosomal dominant (DFNA), autosomal recessive (DFNB), X-linked (DFNX), or mitochondrial (which does not have a special designation). Each of these types of hearing loss includes multiple subtypes. DFNA, DFNB, and DFNX subtypes are numbered in the order in which they were first described. For example, DFNA1 was the first type of autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss to be identified.

The characteristics of nonsyndromic hearing loss vary among the different types. Hearing loss can affect one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). Degrees of hearing loss range from mild (difficulty understanding soft speech) to profound (inability to hear even very loud noises). The term "deafness" is often used to describe severe-to-profound hearing loss. Hearing loss can be stable, or it may be progressive, becoming more severe as a person gets older. Particular types of nonsyndromic hearing loss show distinctive patterns of hearing loss. For example, the loss may be more pronounced at high, middle, or low tones.

Most forms of nonsyndromic hearing loss are described as sensorineural, which means they are associated with a permanent loss of hearing caused by damage to structures in the inner ear. The inner ear processes sound and sends the information to the brain in the form of electrical nerve impulses. Less commonly, nonsyndromic hearing loss is described as conductive, meaning it results from changes in the middle ear. The middle ear contains three tiny bones that help transfer sound from the eardrum to the inner ear. Some forms of nonsyndromic hearing loss, particularly a type called DFNX2, involve changes in both the inner ear and the middle ear. This combination is called mixed hearing loss.

Depending on the type, nonsyndromic hearing loss can become apparent at any time from infancy to old age. Hearing loss that is present before a child learns to speak is classified as prelingual or congenital. Hearing loss that occurs after the development of speech is classified as postlingual.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.