2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R03.0Elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension

ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R00-R09›R03

ICD-10-CM R03.0
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

R03.0 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 314 through 316. The code is flagged as a questionable admission, since it rarely justifies inpatient admission on its own. As a symptom code, it should not be used as a principal diagnosis once a related definitive diagnosis has been established. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Circulatory signs and symptoms.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
R03.0
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension
Short Description
Elevated blood-pressure reading, w/o diagnosis of htn
Parent Code
R03
Abnormal blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis

Code Classification

ChapterR00–R99Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
SectionR00-R09Symptoms and signs involving the circulatory and respiratory systems
CategoryR03Abnormal blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis
This CodeR03.0Elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension

Code EditsBilling

Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for R03.0.

Questionable admission codes
Some diagnoses are not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital. For example, if a patient is given code R030 for elevated blood pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension, then the patient would have a questionable admission, since elevated blood pressure reading is not normally sufficient justification for admission to a hospital. The following list contains diagnosis codes identified as questionable admission when used.

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Blood pressure above reference range
  • Central venous pressure - finding
  • Central venous pressure above reference range
  • Central venous pressure outside reference range
  • Diastolic arterial pressure above reference range
  • Diastolic arterial pressure outside reference range
  • Elevated blood-pressure reading without diagnosis of hypertension
  • Jugular venous pressure - finding
  • Jugular venous pressure outside reference range
  • Mean arterial pressure above reference range
  • Prehypertension
  • Systolic arterial pressure above reference range
  • Systolic arterial pressure outside reference range
  • Venous pressure above reference range

Tabular List NotesGuidance

Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.

  • This category is to be used to record an episode of elevated blood pressure in a patient in whom no formal diagnosis of hypertension has been made, or as an isolated incidental finding.

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Abnormal, abnormality, abnormalities
      • blood pressure
        • elevated
    • Blood
      • pressure
        • high
          • borderline
    • Blood
      • pressure
        • high
          • incidental reading, without diagnosis of hypertension
    • Borderline
      • hypertension
    • Elevated, elevation
      • blood pressure
        • reading (incidental) (isolated) (nonspecific), no diagnosis of hypertension
    • High
      • blood pressure
        • borderline
    • High
      • blood pressure
        • reading (incidental) (isolated) (nonspecific), without diagnosis of hypertension
    • Hypertension, hypertensive(accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
      • borderline
    • Hypertension, hypertensive(accelerated) (benign) (essential) (idiopathic) (malignant) (systemic)
      • transient
    • Tension
      • arterial, high
        • without diagnosis of hypertension

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR SYM012
Circulatory signs and symptoms
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Prehypertension

    blood pressure levels that are between normotension and hypertension. individuals with prehypertension are at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular diseases. generally, prehypertension is defined as systolic pressure of 131-139 mm hg and/or diastolic pressure of 81-89 when the optimal is 120/80 mm hg. for diabetics and other metabolism diseases the prehypertension is around 110-129/70-79 mm hg.

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 R03.0 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
796.2 Elev bl pres w/o hypertn
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About R03.0Overview

Is R03.0 (Abnormal blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does R03.0 group to?

When elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 314, 315, 316, with relative weights from 0.6821 to 2.0852 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

Can R03.0 be a principal diagnosis?

Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.

Does R03.0 justify an inpatient admission?

Not on its own. The Medicare Code Editor lists this code as a questionable admission because elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension is not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of R03.0?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, elevated blood-pressure reading, without diagnosis of hypertension converts to ICD-9-CM 796.2 (elev bl pres w/o hypertn). The mapping is a direct match.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.