I12 vs I15.0
I12 and I15.0 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
I12
Hypertensive chronic kidney disease
Not billable
- Chapter 9
- Diseases of the circulatory system
- Section
- I10-I1A
Use when the record says
- any condition in N18 and N26 - due to hypertension
- arteriosclerosis of kidney
- arteriosclerotic nephritis (chronic) (interstitial)
- hypertensive nephropathy
- nephrosclerosis
I15.0
Renovascular hypertension
Billable
- Chapter 9
- Diseases of the circulatory system
- Section
- I10-I1A
Indexed under
- Hypertension, hypertensive › renovascular (accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
- Hypertension, hypertensive › due to › renovascular disorders (accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
- Hypertension, hypertensive › due to › renal disorders NEC › arterial (accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
- Hypertension, hypertensive › secondary NEC › due to › renovascular disorders (accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
- Hypertension, hypertensive › secondary NEC › due to › renal disorders NEC › arterial (accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027