Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: What is primary pulmonary hypertension, and what is the correct ICD10 code we should report?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs, says Carol Hodge, CPC, CCC, CEMC, certified medical coder of St. Joseph's Cardiology in Savannah, Georgia. Over time, the walls of the pulmonary arteries thicken, which cause the right side of the heart to work harder to pump blood into the lungs. This can lead to right-side heart failure.

Primary pulmonary hypertension is also referred to as idiopathic pulmonary hypertension or primary pulmonary hypertension that occurs for no apparent reason. The code you would choose for this is I27.0 (Primary pulmonary hypertension). For pulmonary hypertension that is caused by an underlying condition, such as pulmonary emboli or emphysema, you would choose the secondary code I27.2 (Other secondary pulmonary hypertension). When using the secondary code, also use any associated conditions such as adverse effects of drugs. Sequencing of these codes is based on the reason for the encounter.