Table of Contents

Basics of Atherosclerosis ICD-10 CM coding

Atherosclerosis is thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. Risk factors may include high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, physical activity, and eating saturated fats.

I70. 8 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes

Signs/Symptoms |Atherosclerosis ICD-10 CM coding

Confusion
Dizziness, trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination, and unexplained falls
Loss of consciousness
Paralysis (an inability to move) or numbness of the face, arms, or legs, especially on one side of the body
Problems breathing
Sudden and severe headache
Sudden weakness
Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Trouble speaking or understanding speech

Related Synonyms |Atherosclerosis ICD-10 CM coding

Aortoiliac atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis of bilateral iliac arteries
Atherosclerosis of both iliac arteries
Atherosclerosis of left iliac artery
Atherosclerosis of right iliac artery
Left brachiocephalic artery stenosis
Right brachiocephalic artery stenosis
Stenosis of left brachiocephalic artery
Stenosis of right brachiocephalic artery

Documentation and Atherosclerosis ICD-10 CM coding

The majority of ICD-10-CM codes for atherosclerosis can be found in the I70.- category and are organized based on the vessel affected, the extremity, and the laterality. The sub-categories include:

I70.2-, atherosclerosis of native arteries of the extremities
I70.3-, atherosclerosis of unspecified type of bypass graft(s) of the extremities
I70.4-, atherosclerosis of autologous vein bypass graft(s) of the extremities
I70.5-, atherosclerosis of nonautologous vein bypass graft(s) of the extremities
I70.6-, atherosclerosis of nonbiological bypass graft(s) of the extremities
I70.7-, atherosclerosis of other type of bypass graft(s) of the extremities

Fifth characters for these codes are used to report the following:

1, intermittent claudication
2, rest pain
3, ulceration of the right leg
4, ulceration of the left leg
6, gangrene

When reporting a code in category I70.-, coders should use additional codes to report tobacco use, dependence, and exposure. Sub-categories may require additional codes to report severity of ulcers (L97.-) or chronic total occlusion of artery of the extremities (I70.92) when applicable.

Documentation when reporting atherosclerotic heart disease with angina pectoris should include the cause (if it is anything other than atherosclerosis), stability, vessel involved, and any graft involvement.

Basic ICD-10 INFORMATION

World Health Organization (WHO) authorized the publication of the International Classification of Diseases External 10th Revision (ICD-10), which was implemented for mortality coding and classification from death certificates in the U.S. in 1999. The U.S. developed a Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for medical diagnoses based on WHO’s ICD-10. This medical classification list is generated by the World Health Organization (WHO), and is used to help healthcare providers identify and code health conditions.