E03.9 Diagnosis Code: ICD-10 Hypothyroidism

Billable/ Specific Code:

E03.9 diagnosis code is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.

Applicable To:

Approximate Synonyms:

• Acquired hypothyroidism
• Cerebral degeneration due to hypothyroidism
• Cerebral degeneration in hypothyroidism
• Hypothyroid (low level of thyroid hormone) in childbirth
• Hypothyroid (low thyroid) in pregnancy
• Hypothyroidism
• Hypothyroidism (low thyroid)
• Hypothyroidism (low thyroid), acquired
• Hypothyroidism in childbirth
• Hypothyroidism in pregnancy
• Hypothyroidism postpartum
• Myxedema
• Postpartum (after childbirth) hypothyroidism
• Subclinical hypothyroidism

Clinical Information

• A condition characterized by a dry, waxy type of swelling (edema) with abnormal deposits of mucopolysaccharides in the skin and other tissues. It is caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones. The skin becomes puffy around the eyes and on the cheeks. The face is dull and expressionless with thickened nose and lips.
• A condition in which the production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland is diminished. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include low metabolic rate, tendency to weight gain, somnolence and sometimes myxedema. In the United States, the most common cause of hypothyroidism is hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder.
• A disorder characterized by a decrease in production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland.
• A syndrome that results from abnormally low secretion of thyroid hormones from the thyroid gland, leading to a decrease in basal metabolic rate. In its most severe form, there is accumulation of mucopolysaccharides in the skin and edema, known as myxedema.
• Condition characterized by a dry, waxy type of swelling with abnormal deposits of mucin in the skin and other tissues; it is produced by a functional insufficiency of the thyroid gland, resulting in deficiency of thyroid hormone.
• Deficiency of thyroid gland activity; characterized by decreased basal metabolic rate, fatigue and lethargy, sensitivity to cold, and menstrual disturbances; untreated it progresses to myxedema; in infants severe hypothyroidism leads to cretinism.
• Too little thyroid hormone. Symptoms include weight gain, constipation, dry skin, and sensitivity to the cold.

Related Specialties:

• Internal Medicine
• Family Medicine
• Bariatric

ICD-10: A Brief Synopsis

For disease reporting, the US utilizes its own national variant of ICD-10 called the ICD-10 Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM). A procedural classification called ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) has also been developed for capturing inpatient procedures. The ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS were developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). There are over 70,000 ICD-10-PCS procedure codes and over 69,000 ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes, compared to about 3,800 procedure codes and roughly 14,000 diagnosis codes found in the previous ICD-9-CM.

The expansion of healthcare delivery systems and changes in global health trends prompted a need for codes with improved clinical accuracy and specificity. The alphanumeric coding in ICD-10 is an improvement from ICD-9 which had a limited number of codes and a restrictive structure. Early concerns in the implementation of ICD-10 included the cost and the availability of resources for training healthcare workers and professional coders.

There was much controversy when the transition from the ICD-9-CM to the ICD-10-CM was first announced in the US. Many providers were concerned about the vast number of codes being added, the complexity of the new coding system, and the costs associated with the transition. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) weighed these concerns against the benefits of having more accurate data collection, clearer documentation of diagnoses and procedures, and more accurate claims processing. CMS decided the financial and public health cost associated with continuing to use the ICD-9-CM was too high and mandated the switch to ICD-10-CM.