The ICD-10-CM is a catalog of diagnosis codes used by medical professionals for medical coding and reporting in health care settings. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) maintain the catalog in the U.S. releasing yearly updates.
In ICD-10-CM, chapter 4, "Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E89)," includes a separate subchapter (block), Diabetes mellitus E08-E13, with the categories:
Why ICD-10 codes are important
Prediabetes
E11. 22, Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic CKD.
E11. 22 - Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic chronic kidney disease | ICD-10-CM.
The incorrect portion of the response came as an aside at the end, where it was stated that “it would be redundant to assign codes for both diabetic nephropathy (E11. 21) and diabetic chronic kidney disease (E11. 22), as diabetic chronic kidney disease is a more specific condition.”
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause kidney disease. Kidney diseases are the 9th leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 1 in 3 adults with diabetes has CKD. Every 24 hours, 170 people with diabetes begin treatment for kidney failure.
CKD is most likely related to both hypertension and diabetes when the patient has all three conditions. Both high blood sugar and high pressure in the blood vessels will cause the vessels to deteriorate, which can then damage the kidneys.
ICD-Code E11* is a non-billable ICD-10 code used for healthcare diagnosis reimbursement of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Its corresponding ICD-9 code is 250. Code I10 is the diagnosis code used for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
ICD-10 Code Z79. 4, Long-term (current) use of insulin should be assigned to indicate that the patient uses insulin for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (Category E11* codes).
So yes, use the appropriate combination codes, being E11. 22, I12. 9 and N18. 3.
Do not assign a code for hypertensive CKD, as the hypertension would be coded separately. In addition, it would be redundant to assign codes for both diabetic nephropathy (E11. 21) and diabetic chronic kidney disease (E11. 22) as diabetic chronic kidney disease is a more specific condition."
Diabetic kidney disease is a decrease in kidney function that occurs in some people who have diabetes. It means that your kidneys are not doing their job as well as they once did to remove waste products and excess fluid from your body. These wastes can build up in your body and cause damage to other organs.
How does diabetes cause kidney disease? High blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys. When the blood vessels are damaged, they don't work as well. Many people with diabetes also develop high blood pressure, which can also damage your kidneys.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by the body's immune system damaging the pancreas and, therefore, no insulin can be manufactured by the body. In Type 1 diabetes, the body fails to make insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, the body either develops a resistance to insulin or not enough insulin is produced to lower the blood sugars.