I10 covers Essential Hypertension for ICD-10

When it comes to essential hypertension, both ICD-9 2011 and ICD-10 2011 have coding options for it; however you won't find a one-to-one correspondence between them.

For essential hypertension, ICD-9 2011 has three coding choices:

401.0 -- malignant

401.1 -- benign

401.9 -- unspecified

ICD-10 2011 includes only one code, solving the age-old problem of having to choose the unspecified code when documentation fails to indicate benign or malignant. The ICD-10 code is the letter I followed by the number 10.

I10 -- Essential hypertension (primary).

So what's new: When ICD-10 goes into effect, you'll need to keep an eye on documentation for tobacco exposure. ICD-10 covers an instruction to 'use additional code to identify':

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)

History of tobacco use (Z87.891)

Occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)

Tobacco dependence (F17.-)

Tobacco use (Z72.0).

What remains the same: Both the ICD-9 and ICD-10 entries state the codes include 'high blood pressure'; however you have separate codes in both sets for when the cardiologist documents an elevated reading without diagnosing hypertension.

ICD-9: 796.2 -- Elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension

ICD-10: R03.0 -- Elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension.

Keep in mind: When ICD-10 goes into effect on October 1, 2013, you should apply the codes and official guidelines in effect at that time (or more specifically, always use the codes and guidelines with effect from the relevant date of service). Learn more by signing up for a medical coding guide like Supercoder.com