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Compare/I12 vs N26

I12 vs N26

I12 (Hypertensive chronic kidney disease) compared with N26 (Unspecified contracted kidney), 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. N26 carries an Excludes1 note covering I12: “contracted kidney due to hypertension (I12.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

No — do not report together. N26 carries an Excludes1 note covering I12: “hypertensive nephrosclerosis (arteriolar) (arteriosclerotic) (I12.-)”

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 diseaseN26Unspecified contracted kidney
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: I12.0, I12.9

Non-billable header

Report instead: N26.1, N26.2, N26.9

ClassificationI00-I99 — Diseases of the Circulatory System (I00-I99)N00-N99 — Diseases of the Genitourinary System (N00-N99)
DefinitionHypertensive chronic kidney disease is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (I12).Unspecified contracted kidney is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (N26).
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)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources