Ear Irrigation Procedure Codes and Guidelines

Understanding the Procedure Codes

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as reported by MMWR Recommendations and Reports, recommends using CPT code 69209 for unilateral ear irrigation to remove impacted cerumen, and CPT code 69210 for bilateral ear irrigation, with a moderate strength of evidence 1
• The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery suggests that intraoperative saline washout during tympanostomy tube placement should not be coded separately, as it is included in the tube insertion code, based on high-quality evidence 2

Common Billing Pitfalls

• The American Medical Association advises that insufficient documentation of impaction severity can lead to claim denials, with a high strength of evidence 3