N18 — Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
Is N18 billable?
No — N18 is a non-billable header code. N18 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 9 billable codes beneath N18.
Billable codes under this header
- N18.1Chronic kidney disease, stage 1
- N18.2Chronic kidney disease, stage 2 (mild)
- N18.4Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 (severe)
- N18.5Chronic kidney disease, stage 5
- N18.6End stage renal disease
- N18.9Chronic kidney disease, unspecified
- N18.30Chronic kidney disease, stage 3 unspecified
- N18.31Chronic kidney disease, stage 3a
- N18.32Chronic kidney disease, stage 3b
N18 at a glance
| Code | N18 |
|---|---|
| Description | Chronic kidney disease (CKD) |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Code first
The underlying condition below must be sequenced before N18. N18 describes a manifestation and cannot be the principal or first-listed diagnosis.
Use additional code
Report an additional code alongside N18 to fully describe the condition. N18 is sequenced first.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 14
The conditions below are not part of N18, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, N18 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from N17-N19
The conditions below are not part of N18, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, N18 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- congenital renal failure (P96.0)
- drug- and heavy-metal-induced tubulo-interstitial and tubular conditions (N14.-)
- extrarenal uremia (R39.2)
- hemolytic-uremic syndrome (D59.3-)
- hepatorenal syndrome (K76.7)
- postpartum hepatorenal syndrome (O90.41)
- posttraumatic renal failure (T79.5)
- prerenal uremia (R39.2)
- renal failure complicating abortion or ectopic or molar pregnancy (O00-O07, O08.4)
- renal failure following labor and delivery (O90.41)
- renal failure postprocedural (N99.0)
What codes fall under N18? (7)
How long has N18 existed?
N18 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with N18?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with N18 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.