Loading...

    Explore
    • Policy Monitoring
    • Live Policy Feed
    • Billing Codes
    • Healthcare Providers
    • Health Insurance Payers
    • States
    • Service Lines
    • Taxonomy Codes
    Lookup tools
    • Billing Code Lookup
    • CPT Modifier Lookup
    • Provider Taxonomy Code Lookup
    • Healthcare Provider & Facility Lookup
    • Health Insurance Payer Lookup
    • Payer Contact Directory

    Policy & Benchmark Tools

    • Prior Authorization Lookup
    • Coverage Criteria Lookup
    • Timely Filing Lookup
    • Billing Code Reimbursement Rates
    • Payer Comparison Dashboard
    • Facility Comparison Dashboard
    • All tools

    Company

    • About OpenPayer
    • Data Sources
    • Trek Health
    OpenPayerby Trek Health
    LinkedInYouTube

    © 2026 Trek Health. All rights reserved.

    OpenPayer is built and maintained by Trek Health.

    v1.0.30
    OpenPayerBilling CodesDiseases and Disorders of the Ear, Nose, Mouth and ThroatDRG 144-other-ear-nose-mouth-and-throat-o-r-procedures-with-cc
    Ask Trek AI about this page

    Other Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat O.R. Procedures with CC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    DRG 144 encompasses other ear, nose, mouth and throat operating room procedures coded with a Complication or Comorbidity and reflects a higher clinical complexity within otolaryngology operative admissions. This classification influences inpatient reimbursement by assigning a higher payment relative weight when Complications or Comorbidities are present, which affects Medicare payment determinations.

    Customize your policy alerts

    Sign up for drg 144 policy alerts

    Get alerted when payer policies referencing 144 are released or updated.

    Monitor payer policy activity

    Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

    DRG 144 Overview

    DRG 144 covers inpatient cases involving other ear, nose, mouth and throat operating room procedures that are coded with a Complication or Comorbidity. Typical procedures include a range of otolaryngology operations that are more complex or that have additional clinical factors increasing resource use. This Diagnosis-Related Group matters for Medicare payment because the presence of a Complication or Comorbidity raises the relative payment weight compared with cases without such comorbid conditions, affecting hospital reimbursement for inpatient stays.

    Table of contents

    Progress1 / 3

    Explore openpayer tools

    • Billing CodesCPT, HCPCS, DRG & more
    • Reimbursement RatesCommercial vs. Medicare rate reports
    • Facility ComparisonBeds, revenue & payer mix
    • ProvidersHospitals & facilities
    • PayersPlans & market footprint
    • Taxonomy CodesNUCC specialty codes
    • ModifiersCPT modifiers & usage
    • Prior AuthorizationPA policies by payer & drug
    • Timely FilingFiling deadlines by payer
    • Coverage CriteriaMedical necessity by payer
    • Payer ContactsClaims, PA & appeals contacts
    View all tools

    Clinical Trials

    • Perioperative infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship trials focusing on preventing surgical site infections after complex ENT operative procedures: these studies enroll adult and pediatric patients undergoing ear, nose, mouth, and throat operations that carry higher risk of contamination or prosthetic implantation to test optimized perioperative antibiotic regimens, timing, and durations or alternative antiseptic protocols. The objective is to reduce postoperative infectious complications and readmissions in patients with comorbidities (eg, diabetes, immunosuppression) that increase CC-level risk; results are directly relevant to clinicians for guideline development and to payers for reducing costly complications and length of stay.
    • Comparative effectiveness studies of surgical approaches and airway management for complex ENT O.R. procedures with complications or comorbidities: these trials compare different operative techniques (eg, endoscopic versus open approaches), intraoperative monitoring strategies, or anesthetic/airway management protocols in patients with CC-level severity such as severe obstructive sleep apnea, recurrent infections, or prior surgery. The goal is to determine which approaches lead to fewer intraoperative complications, shorter operative time, and faster recovery, informing surgical decision-making and resource utilization that impact DRG costs and reimbursement.
    • Post-discharge functional outcomes and health services research assessing long-term morbidity, quality of life, and healthcare utilization after complex ENT operations: these prospective cohort studies follow patients with CCs (for example, recurrent otitis media with hearing loss or advanced sinonasal disease) to measure hearing, swallowing, speech outcomes, readmission rates, and outpatient service needs over months to a year. Findings help providers understand rehabilitation needs and guide care pathways to reduce readmissions and unnecessary post-acute services, and help payers model expected downstream costs and value-based payment strategies.

    Related Codes

    135-SINUS-AND-MASTOID-PROCEDURES-WITH-CC-MCC

    Sinus and Mastoid Procedures with CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    136-SINUS-AND-MASTOID-PROCEDURES-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Sinus and Mastoid Procedures without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    137-MOUTH-PROCEDURES-WITH-CC-MCC

    Mouth Procedures with CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    138-MOUTH-PROCEDURES-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Mouth Procedures without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    139-SALIVARY-GLAND-PROCEDURES

    Salivary Gland Procedures: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    140-MAJOR-HEAD-AND-NECK-PROCEDURES-WITH-MCC

    Major Head and Neck Procedures with MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    141-MAJOR-HEAD-AND-NECK-PROCEDURES-WITH-CC

    Major Head and Neck Procedures with CC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    142-MAJOR-HEAD-AND-NECK-PROCEDURES-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Major Head and Neck Procedures without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    143-OTHER-EAR-NOSE-MOUTH-AND-THROAT-O-R-PROCEDURES-WITH-MCC

    Other Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat O.R. Procedures with MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    145-OTHER-EAR-NOSE-MOUTH-AND-THROAT-O-R-PROCEDURES-WITHOUT-CC-MCC

    Other Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat O.R. Procedures without CC/MCC: Inpatient Reimbursement Overview

    Showing 1–10 of 24

    References

    1. 1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
    2. 2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
    3. 3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.
    Published by

    Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

    Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.