Medicare AdvantageDocumentationMedium impact
Coding Newsletter - Chronic Kidney Disease
Florida Blue·FL · Nephrology, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine +2 more·Coding
We identified it
Jun 16, 2026
Summary
Florida Blue has updated coding guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), emphasizing the requirement for providers to document specific CKD stages (1-5 or ESRD) and underlying causes. The policy clarifies ICD-10-CM code mapping for each CKD stage and establishes documentation requirements for combination coding with diabetes and hypertension.
Action Required
Immediately: Billing team must update CKD documentation requirements in EMR templates to capture specific CKD stages (1-5 or ESRD) and underlying causes. Providers must document chronicity (≥3 months), current status, and dialysis/transplant status when applicable. Update billing system to use combination codes for diabetes with CKD (E11.22 + N18.-) and hypertension with CKD (I12.- + N18.-). Train coding staff on new ICD-10-CM mapping requirements.