Skip to main content

I10 vs I60

I10 (Essential (primary) hypertension) compared with I60 (Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because I10 lists I60 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.I10 is “Essential (primary) hypertension”; I60 is “Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage”. I60 is a non-billable header; I10 is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.I10 lists I60 under Excludes2: “essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of brain (I60-I69)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.I10’s tabular entry: “essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of brain (I60-I69)”. The note covers I60.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.I60 is a non-billable header, but I10 is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

Yes.I60 first, I10 as an additional code: I60 carries a Use Additional Code instruction covering I10 (“hypertension (I10-I1A)”).

Official ruleGuide: Code First vs Use Additional Code vs Code Also

Nothing found in 2 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. I10 carries 3 Excludes1 notes and I60 carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

I10
Essential (primary) hypertension
↔
I60
Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.I10 carries an Excludes2 note covering I60: “essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of brain (I60-I69)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Sequencing on the claim

Sequencing

Additional-code relationship

1st
I60
Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage
→
then
I10
Essential (primary) hypertension

What we found

I60 first, I10 as an additional code

I60 carries a Use Additional Code instruction covering I10: “hypertension (I10-I1A)”

What to review

Report I10 after I60 when the documentation supports it.

Guide: Code First vs Use Additional Code vs Code Also

Why it matters

A "Use additional code" note means a secondary code should follow this one to fully describe the condition when the documentation supports it.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

  • Section I.B.7 — Multiple coding for a single condition · applies to: Code first / Use additional code

    In addition to the etiology/manifestation convention that requires two codes to fully describe a single condition that affects multiple body systems, there are other single conditions that also require more than one code. “Use additional code” notes are found in the Tabular List at codes that are not part of an etiology/manifestation pair where a secondary code is useful to fully describe a condition. The sequencing rule is the same as the etiology/manifestation pair, “use additional code” indicates that a secondary code should be added, if known. For example, for bacterial infections that are not included in chapter 1, a secondary code from category B95, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Enterococcus, as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere, or B96, Other bacterial agents as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere, may be required to identify the bacterial organism causing the infection. A “use additional code” note will normally be found at the infectious disease code, indicating a need for the organism code to be added as a secondary code. “Code first” notes are also under certain codes that are not specifically manifestation codes but may be due to an underlying cause. When there is a “code first” note and an underlying condition is present, the underlying condition should be sequenced first, if known. […]

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

  • Section I.A.13 — Etiology/manifestation convention (“code first”, “use additional code” and “in diseases classified elsewhere” notes) · applies to: Etiology/manifestation convention

    Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-10-CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first, if applicable, followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a “use additional code” note at the etiology code, and a “code first” note at the manifestation code. These instructional notes indicate the proper sequencing order of the codes, etiology followed by manifestation. In most cases the manifestation codes will have in the code title, “in diseases classified elsewhere.” Codes with this title are a component of the etiology/ manifestation convention. The code title indicates that it is a manifestation code. “In diseases classified elsewhere” codes are never permitted to be used as first listed or principal diagnosis codes. They must be used in conjunction with an underlying condition code and they must be listed following the underlying condition. See category F02, Dementia in other diseases classified elsewhere, for an example of this convention. There are manifestation codes that do not have “in diseases classified elsewhere” in the title. For such codes, there is a “use additional code” note at the etiology code and a “code first” note at the manifestation code, and the rules for sequencing apply. […]

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
I10

Essential (primary) hypertension

I60

Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage

StatusDiffers
I10
Billable
I60
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: I60.00, I60.01, I60.02, I60.10, I60.11

Excludes1Differs
I10
  • hypertensive disease complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O10-O11, O13-O16)
  • neonatal hypertension (P29.2)
  • primary pulmonary hypertension (I27.0)
I60
  • syphilitic ruptured cerebral aneurysm (A52.05)
  • traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (S06.-)
Excludes2Differs
I10
  • essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of brain (I60-I69)
  • essential (primary) hypertension involving vessels of eye (H35.0-)
I60
  • sequelae of subarachnoid hemorrhage (I69.0-)
Use additional codeDiffers
Only at I10
  • code to identify:
Only at I60
  • code, if known, to indicate National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (R29.7-)
  • code to identify presence of:
  • alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
  • hypertension (I10-I1A)
Shared by both codes (5 notes)
  • exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
  • history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
  • occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
  • tobacco dependence (F17.-)
  • tobacco use (Z72.0)
CategorySame for both

Is itself a category

ChapterSame for both

I00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99)

IncludesDiffers
I10
  • high blood pressure
  • hypertension (arterial) (benign) (essential) (malignant) (primary) (systemic)
I60

None at this code

No Code first, Code also and 7th character note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources