OASIS Alert

ICD-9/ICD-10 Crosswalk

Look for Simpler Hypertension Coding in ICD-10

The rules you'll follow for assigning hypertension codes in ICD-10 will be much the same as the rules you use currently to select the correct ICD-9 hypertension code in M1020/ M1022. Give yourself a refresher in current best practices for coding this condition and you'll be well on your way to mastering the steps for ICD-10 hypertension coding.

Primary/Essential Hypertension: 401.xx/I10

To code for primary hypertension in ICD-9, you first need to determine whether the hypertension is malignant, benign, or unspecified.

Most hypertension is considered primary or essential hypertension, and in ICD-9, it's coded with a 401.x (Essential hypertension) category code.

The fourth digit for 401.x codes indicates whether the hypertension is malignant, benign, or unspecified:

  • 401.0 (Essential hypertension, malignant);
  • 401.1 (Essential hypertension, benign); or
  • 401.9 (Essential hypertension, unspecified).

In ICD-10, you will no longer need to specify whether primary hypertension is malignant, benign, or unspecified. As a result, the hypertension table, found in the Alphabetic Index in ICD-9, isn't included in ICD-10. All primary hypertension is reported with the same code: I10 (Essential [primary] hypertension).

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