2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code I10Essential (primary) hypertension
ICD-10-CM Codes›I00–I99›I10-I1A›primary
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Chronic Condition
I10 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for essential (primary) hypertension. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The code is flagged as a questionable admission, since it rarely justifies inpatient admission on its own. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Essential hypertension.
I10 does not risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage under the CMS-HCC V28 model. It still risk-adjusts in the RxHCC Part D (V08) category 187 for payment year 2026.
This medical diagnosis code is frequently used in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and OB/GYN medical specialties to designate conditions such hypertension.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for I10.
Quality Payment Program MeasuresBilling
Medicare quality measures that can apply when I10 is part of the patient record.
Controlling High Blood Pressure
High Priority: YES
Measure Type: Intermediateoutcome
Submission Methods: Claims, Electronic Health Record, Cms Web Interface, Registry
Description: Percentage of patients 18-85 years of age who had a diagnosis of essential hypertension starting before and continuing into, or starting during the first six months of the measurement period, and whose most recent blood pressure was adequately controlled (<140/90mmHg) during the measurement period.
Medicare Risk Adjustment (HCC)Billing
I10 does not risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage under the CMS-HCC V28 model, but it maps to payment categories in the other CMS models shown below.
Source: CMS Payment Year 2026 risk adjustment mappings and model software. Weights are relative factors, not dollar amounts; a beneficiary's total RAF also includes demographics and interactions. Browse all CMS-HCC categories.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Benign essential hypertension
- Benign hypertension
- Brachydactyly and arterial hypertension syndrome
- Brachydactyly syndrome type E
- Cerebrovascular accident with intracranial hemorrhage
- Dementia due to hemorrhagic cerebral infarction due to hypertension
- Dementia due to hypertensive encephalopathy
- Dementia due to metabolic abnormality
- Diastolic hypertension
- Diastolic hypertension and systolic hypertension
- Essential hypertension
- Good hypertension control
- Grange syndrome
- Headache due to arterial hypertension
- Hemorrhagic cerebral infarction
- Hemorrhagic cerebral infarction due to hypertension
- Hemorrhagic infarction
- Hereditary dysplasia of blood vessel
- High-renin essential hypertension
- Hypertension monitoring offer default
- Hypertension monitoring status
- Hypertension stage 1
- Hypertension stage 2
- Hypertension with albuminuria
- Hypertensive complication
- Hypertensive crisis
- Hypertensive disorder
- Hypertensive emergency
- Hypertensive optic neuropathy
- Hypertensive treatment changed
- Intermittent hypertension
- Labile diastolic hypertension
- Labile essential hypertension
- Labile systemic arterial hypertension
- Low-renin essential hypertension
- Malignant essential hypertension
- Malignant hypertension
- Martorell ulcer of lower leg
- Martorell ulcer of lower limb
- On treatment for hypertension
- Rebound hypertension
- Stable hypertension
- Supine hypertension
- Sustained diastolic hypertension
- Systolic essential hypertension
- Systolic hypertension
- Transient hypertension
Tabular List NotesGuidance
Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.
Includes
- high blood pressure
- hypertension (arterial) (benign) (essential) (malignant) (primary) (systemic)
Type 1 Excludes
Type 2 Excludes
- essential primary hypertension involving vessels of brain I60 I69
- essential primary hypertension involving vessels of eye H35.0
This note appears immediately under a three character code title to further define, or give examples of, the content of the category.
A type 1 excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
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.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Essential Hypertension
hypertension that occurs without known cause, or preexisting renal disease. associated polymorphisms for a number of genes have been identified, including agt, gnb3, and ece1. omim: 145500Hypertensive Crisis
a severe, acute increase in blood pressure that may result in stroke or myocardial ischemia.Benign Essential Hypertension
a condition of mild to moderate high blood pressure that has no identifiable cause.Diastolic Hypertension
hypertension characterized diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmhg on two occasions.Systolic Hypertension
abnormally high systolic blood pressure.Malignant Hypertension
severe hypertension that is characterized by rapid onset of extremely high blood pressure.Malignant Essential Hypertension
essential hypertension with rapid progression to severe high blood pressure, papilledema, and renal failure.
Patient EducationClinical
High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls.
The full article covers:
- What is blood pressure?
- How is high blood pressure diagnosed?
- What are the different types of high blood pressure?
- Why do I need to worry about high blood pressure?
- What are the treatments for high blood pressure?
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert I10 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About I10Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for essential (primary) hypertension?
The ICD-10-CM code for essential (primary) hypertension is I10. It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Is I10 (Essential (primary) hypertension) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report essential (primary) hypertension on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Does I10 justify an inpatient admission?
Not on its own. The Medicare Code Editor lists this code as a questionable admission because essential (primary) hypertension is not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of I10?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, essential (primary) hypertension converts to ICD-9-CM 401.0 (malignant hypertension), 401.1 (benign hypertension), and 401.9 (hypertension NOS). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
Does I10 risk-adjust for Medicare Advantage payment?
Not for Medicare Advantage: I10 maps to no category in the CMS-HCC V28 model. It still risk-adjusts in the RxHCC Part D (V08) category 187 (Hypertension).
