I12 vs I15
I12 (Hypertensive chronic kidney disease) compared with I15 (Secondary hypertension), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.
Can these codes be reported together?
No — do not report together. I12 carries an Excludes1 note covering I15: “secondary hypertension (I15.-)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
Side by side
| I12Hypertensive chronic kidney disease | I15Secondary hypertension | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Non-billable header |
| Classification | I00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99) | I00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99) |
| Definition | Hypertensive chronic kidney disease is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (I12). | Secondary hypertension is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (I15). |
| Includes | any condition in N18 and N26 - due to hypertension arteriosclerosis of kidney arteriosclerotic nephritis (chronic) (interstitial) hypertensive nephropathy | — |
| Use additional code | code to identify: exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22) history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891) | code to identify: exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22) history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891) |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources