Elevated Blood Glucose and Prediabetes ICD-10-CM codes

Category R73 reports abnormal glucose findings in a patient who has not been diagnosed with diabetes. R73.01 is impaired fasting glucose, R73.02 impaired glucose tolerance on an oral test, R73.03 prediabetes, R73.09 other abnormal glucose (including an abnormal non-fasting glucose or abnormal blood sugar not otherwise characterized), and R73.9 hyperglycemia, unspecified. When the provider documents prediabetes, R73.03 is the code even if the laboratory pattern would fit R73.01 or R73.02.

Do not assign a diabetes code from an A1c or glucose value; diabetes E08 to E13 requires the provider's diagnosis. Conversely, a known diabetic with a high glucose is coded to the diabetes combination code for hyperglycemia (E11.65 for Type 2), never to R73.9. Transient stress hyperglycemia during an acute illness in a non-diabetic patient is R73.9.

Abnormal glucose in a pregnant patient is O99.81- (O99.810 in pregnancy), and gestational diabetes has its own O24.4 codes. Other abnormal blood chemistry findings are coded from R79 (R79.89 other specified) or the specific code, such as R74.01 for elevated transaminases.