I10: Essential (primary) hypertension
Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2027
What ICD-10-CM says
Includes
- high blood pressure
- hypertension (arterial) (benign) (essential) (malignant) (primary) (systemic)
Excludes1 (never coded with I10)
- hypertensive disease complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O10-O11, O13-O16)
Excludes2 (not part of I10; both may be coded)
- essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of brain (I60-I69)
- essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of eye (H35.0-)
What I10 covers
I10 covers high blood pressure with no identified secondary cause. The tabular includes benign, malignant, arterial and systemic hypertension under this one code, so there is no separate code for "controlled" or "uncontrolled" hypertension.
It is one of the most reported codes in primary care, cardiology and internal medicine. It is a three-character category with no subdivisions. Secondary hypertension has its own category (I15), and hypertension during pregnancy, childbirth or the puerperium is coded in chapter 15 (O10-O11, O13-O16), which I10 excludes.
Billing and coding notes
The official guidelines presume a causal link between hypertension and heart disease and between hypertension and chronic kidney disease. When either is present, I10 is replaced by a combination code: I11.- for hypertensive heart disease, I12.- for hypertensive CKD, or I13.- when both are present, with additional codes for the heart failure type or CKD stage. Only skip the combination code if the provider documents that the conditions are unrelated.
An elevated reading without a diagnosis of hypertension is coded R03.0, not I10. Hypertension involving the vessels of the brain (I60-I69) or the eye (H35.0-) is an excludes2, so those codes can be reported alongside I10 when documented.
Questions about I10
Can I10 be coded with chronic kidney disease?
No. The guidelines assume hypertension and CKD are related, so you use I12.- (or I13.- if heart disease is also present) plus an N18 code for the CKD stage, unless the provider documents that the two are unrelated.
Is there a separate code for uncontrolled hypertension?
No. Controlled, uncontrolled and poorly controlled essential hypertension all code to I10. The terms describe the patient's status, not a different condition.
ICD-10-CM in CloudMedico
In CloudMedico, a visit's diagnoses come from the current ICD-10-CM list. For US practices, the visit flags a code that isn't billable on its date, and a superbill made from an invoice carries the visit's diagnoses.
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