I95.9: Hypotension, unspecified

The ICD-10-CM code for hypotension when the provider diagnoses low blood pressure and the note names no type or cause, such as orthostatic, drug-induced, hemodialysis-related or postprocedural hypotension.

Billable

FY2027

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At a glance

Code Family

I95: Hypotension

DRG Grouping

MS-DRG 314, 315 or 316, Other circulatory system diagnoses, when I95.9 is the principal diagnosis under the FY2027 MS-DRG v44 grouper.

HCC Mapping (v28)

None. I95.9 does not appear in the CMS-HCC v28 diagnosis crosswalk.

Family Specificity

Seven billable codes sit in I95, split by the type or cause of hypotension the provider documents.

Billable

Yes. I95.9 is a complete code in the FY2027 billable code list.

Effective Date

Valid in the FY2026 code set and unchanged in the FY2027 update.

Which I95 code do I assign?

Category I95 splits hypotension by type or cause: idiopathic, orthostatic, drug-induced, hemodialysis-related, postprocedural, other specified or unspecified. The Alphabetic Index sends Hypotension with no qualifier to I95.9 and sends a low reading without a diagnosis of hypotension to R03.1.

When documentation says…

Code

Hypotension or low blood pressure, no type or cause stated

I95.9

Hypotension, unspecified. The Index sends Hypotension (arterial) (constitutional) here. The provider diagnoses hypotension and names no type, drug, dialysis link or procedure link.

Orthostatic or postural hypotension

I95.1

Orthostatic hypotension. The Index sends Hypotension, orthostatic (chronic) and Hypotension, postural here. The provider must diagnose orthostatic hypotension, not only record orthostatic vital signs (Guideline I.A.19).

Hypotension from a medication

I95.2

Hypotension due to drugs. The Index sends Hypotension, drug-induced and orthostatic hypotension due to drugs here. I95.2 carries a use additional code note for the T36-T50 adverse effect code that identifies the drug.

Hypotension during hemodialysis

I95.3

Hypotension of hemodialysis. The Index sends Hypotension, due to (of) hemodialysis and Hypotension, intra-dialytic here. Intra-dialytic hypotension is an inclusion term at I95.3.

Hypotension after surgery

I95.81

Postprocedural hypotension. The Index sends Hypotension, postoperative here. Under Guideline I.B.16, code assignment rests on the provider's documentation of a cause-and-effect relationship between the procedure and the hypotension.

Chronic hypotension

I95.89

Other hypotension. Chronic hypotension is an inclusion term at I95.89. The Index also sends iatrogenic hypotension and hypotension specified NEC here. Chronic orthostatic hypotension indexes to I95.1 instead.

Low blood pressure reading, no diagnosis of hypotension

R03.1

Nonspecific low blood-pressure reading. The Index sends an incidental, isolated or nonspecific low reading here. Category I95 carries an Excludes1 note for R03.1.

Tabular notes

EXCLUDES1

Category I95 carries an Excludes1 note for cardiovascular collapse (R57.9), maternal hypotension syndrome (O26.5-) and nonspecific low blood pressure reading NOS (R03.1). None of these is reported with I95.9 for the same condition.

R03.1 carries the matching Excludes1 note in the other direction for hypotension (I95.-), maternal hypotension syndrome (O26.5-) and neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (G90.3).

In the Alphabetic Index, Collapse, circulatory (peripheral) goes to R57.9 and Collapse, cardiovascular goes to R57.0, cardiogenic shock.

Within the family, I95.1 carries its own Excludes1 note for neurogenic orthostatic hypotension [Shy-Drager] (G90.3) and orthostatic hypotension due to drugs (I95.2).

EXCLUDES2

Category I95 and the I95-I99 block carry no Excludes2 note of their own.

Chapter 9 carries an Excludes2 note that includes complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A), injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88) and symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94).

USE ADDITIONAL

I95.9 carries no use additional code, code first or code also instruction. None sits above it at I95, the I95-I99 block or Chapter 9.

Its sibling I95.2 carries a use additional code note for the adverse effect, if applicable, to identify the drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5). I95.9 has no matching note.

FY2027: EFFECTIVE 1 OCTOBER 2026

The FY2027 codes addenda make no addition, deletion or revision in category I95. I95.9 is in the FY2027 billable code list and is unchanged in the FY2027 update.

Operational & financial impact

Why specificity matters beyond the chart: risk adjustment, DRG assignment and denial exposure all follow from which code is selected.

CMS-HCC v28 (PY2024+)

No code in category I95 appears in the CMS-HCC v28 diagnosis crosswalk.

In the same crosswalk, R57.0 and R57.9 map to HCC 213: Cardio-Respiratory Failure and Shock.

R57.1, R57.8 and R65.21 map to HCC 2: Septicemia, Sepsis, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/Shock.

G90.3, which holds neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, maps to HCC 199: Parkinson and Other Degenerative Disease of Basal Ganglia.

MS-DRG v44 (FY2027)

MS-DRG 314: Other circulatory system diagnoses with MCC.

MS-DRG 315: Other circulatory system diagnoses with CC.

MS-DRG 316: Other circulatory system diagnoses without CC/MCC.

I95.9 as principal diagnosis groups to one of these three DRGs in MDC 05, per the CMS MS-DRG v44.0 Definitions Manual, Appendix B.

R55 as principal diagnosis groups to MS-DRG 312, Syncope and collapse, in MDC 05 under the same manual.

WHERE SPECIFICITY IS LOST

Reporting I95.9 when the note names orthostatic, drug-induced, hemodialysis or postprocedural hypotension omits the type that I95.1, I95.2, I95.3 or I95.81 captures.

Reporting I95.9 for drug-induced hypotension also omits the T36-T50 adverse effect code that the I95.2 use additional code note calls for.

Reporting I95.9 with R57.9 for the same condition conflicts with the category I95 Excludes1 note. When the provider diagnoses shock, the R57 code or the septic shock code R65.21 carries the HCC mapping that I95.9 lacks.

Reporting I95.9 for a low reading the provider does not diagnose as hypotension conflicts with the R03.1 Excludes1 note.

SEVERITY DESIGNATION (MS-DRG V44, FY2027)

I95.9 is on neither list. It carries no CC or MCC designation as a secondary diagnosis.

No code in category I95 carries a CC or MCC designation.

Per Table 6I (Complete MCC List) and Table 6J (Complete CC List) of the FY2027 IPPS final rule (CMS-1849-F), MS-DRG v44.

Documentation checklist to support I95.9

Chart elements that support code selection and reduce specificity-driven denials.

The word hypotension, or a diagnosis of low blood pressure, in the provider's own words. Hypotension with no qualifier indexes to I95.9.

Any type the provider documents, such as orthostatic, postural, idiopathic or chronic, which moves the code to I95.1, I95.0 or I95.89.

The drug and the provider's link to it when a medication caused the hypotension, which moves the code to I95.2 and adds the T36-T50 adverse effect code.

The provider's link to hemodialysis or to a procedure, which moves the code to I95.3 or I95.81 (Guideline I.B.16 for procedures).

Whether the provider diagnoses hypotension or records only a low reading. A low reading without a diagnosis of hypotension indexes to R03.1.

Whether the provider diagnoses shock. Shock NOS indexes to R57.9, which the category I95 Excludes1 note names.

Whether the patient is pregnant. Maternal hypotension syndrome, including supine hypotensive syndrome, codes to the O26.5 codes, which the category I95 Excludes1 note names.

Symptoms such as dizziness (R42) or fainting (R55). Guideline I.B.5 bars a sign routinely associated with a disease process, and Guideline I.B.6 allows one that is not.

For outpatient encounters, a confirmed diagnosis rather than probable or suspected hypotension (Section IV.H).

FAQ

Is I95.9 a billable code in FY2027?

Yes. I95.9 is a complete code with no further characters. It appears in the FY2027 billable code list. The FY2027 codes addenda make no addition, deletion or revision in category I95. Its parent I95 is a category and cannot be reported.

What is the ICD-10 code for low blood pressure?

It depends on whether the provider diagnoses hypotension. The Index entry Low, blood pressure points to Hypotension, which sends hypotension with no type to I95.9. A low reading recorded as incidental, isolated or nonspecific indexes to R03.1. Category I95 and R03.1 carry Excludes1 notes against each other.

What is the difference between I95.9 and I95.1?

I95.1 holds orthostatic hypotension. Hypotension, postural is an inclusion term at I95.1. The Index sends orthostatic hypotension, including chronic orthostatic hypotension, to I95.1. I95.9 holds hypotension with no type stated. Code assignment rests on the provider's diagnostic statement, not on orthostatic vital signs alone (Guideline I.A.19).

Does I95.9 map to an HCC under CMS-HCC v28?

No. I95.9 does not appear in the CMS-HCC v28 diagnosis crosswalk. No other I95 code does either. In the same crosswalk, R57.0 cardiogenic shock and R57.9 shock, unspecified map to HCC 213, Cardio-Respiratory Failure and Shock.

Should I95.9 be reported for hypotension in a patient with shock?

Category I95 carries an Excludes1 note for cardiovascular collapse (R57.9). R57.9 is Shock, unspecified, with the inclusion term failure of peripheral circulation NOS. The Index sends Shock to R57.9, hypovolemic shock to R57.1, cardiogenic shock to R57.0 and septic shock to R65.21. I95.9 is not reported with R57.9 for the same condition.

Can I95.9 be reported with syncope (R55)?

No Excludes1 note bars the pair. R55 carries an Excludes1 note for orthostatic hypotension (I95.1) but not for I95.9. Guideline I.B.5 bars a sign routinely associated with a disease process as an additional code. Guideline I.B.6 allows one that is not.

How is hypotension caused by a medication coded?

The Index sends Hypotension, drug-induced to I95.2, not I95.9. I95.2 carries a use additional code note for the adverse effect code that identifies the drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5). Guideline I.C.19.e.5.(a) sequences the nature of the adverse effect first. For an overdose or a wrong drug, Guideline I.C.19.e.5.(b) sequences the T36-T50 poisoning code first.

How is I95.9 sequenced in inpatient and outpatient settings?

In the outpatient setting, list first the condition chiefly responsible for the visit (Section IV.G). Probable or suspected hypotension is not coded there (Section IV.H). In the inpatient setting, an uncertain diagnosis documented at discharge is coded as if it existed (Section II.H). I95.9 sits in Chapter 9. The Section II.A limit on principal diagnosis applies to Chapter 18 symptom codes.

Related codes

Codes in the same family as I95.9. Only codes with a published page render as links.

Sibling codes in the I95 family

I95.0: Idiopathic hypotension, when the provider documents idiopathic or permanent idiopathic hypotension.
I95.1: Orthostatic hypotension, when orthostatic or postural hypotension is documented without a drug or neurogenic cause.
I95.2: Hypotension due to drugs, when the provider links the hypotension to a medication.
I95.3: Hypotension of hemodialysis, when the provider links the hypotension to hemodialysis, including intra-dialytic hypotension.
I95.81: Postprocedural hypotension, when the provider links the hypotension to a procedure.
I95.89: Other hypotension, for chronic, iatrogenic or other specified hypotension.

Additional codes to consider

Codes outside the I95 family considered alongside I95.9.

Consider instead

R03.1: Nonspecific low blood-pressure reading, when a low reading is recorded without a diagnosis of hypotension.
R57.9: Shock, unspecified, when the provider documents shock or failure of peripheral circulation NOS.
R57.1: Hypovolemic shock, when hypovolemic shock is documented.
R57.0: Cardiogenic shock, when cardiogenic shock or cardiovascular collapse is documented.
R65.21: Severe sepsis with septic shock, when septic shock is documented.
G90.3: Multi-system degeneration of the autonomic nervous system, when the provider documents neurogenic orthostatic hypotension [Shy-Drager].
O26.5: Maternal hypotension syndrome, when the provider documents maternal hypotension syndrome or supine hypotensive syndrome.
R55: Syncope and collapse, when the provider documents fainting or collapse rather than hypotension.
G96.810: Intracranial hypotension, unspecified, when the provider documents intracranial hypotension rather than low blood pressure.

Sources

All claims on this page derive from government and professional-standards sources.

National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). International classification of diseases, tenth revision, clinical modification (ICD-10-CM) FY2027 files. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd-10-cm/files.html
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). ICD-10-CM official guidelines for coding and reporting FY2027. https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/ICD10CM/2027/ICD-10-CM-October-1-2026-FY27-Guidelines.pdf
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). 2026 model software/ICD-10 mappings. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/medicare-advantage-rates-statistics/risk-adjustment/2026-model-software-icd-10-mappings
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). MS-DRG classifications and software, version 44. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/ms-drg-classifications-and-software