I70.203

Billable

Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs

HCC Category Mapping

V24HCC 108 — Vascular Disease

0.297

ESRDHCC 108 — Vascular Disease

0.000

What This Code Means

Narrowing of blood vessels affecting both legs due to fatty plaque buildup, which can cause pain or reduced circulation in both limbs.

Coding Tips

•This code indicates bilateral leg involvement; confirm documentation specifies both legs are affected
•Consider whether separate codes for each leg would be more appropriate if disease severity differs between sides

Clinical Significance

Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of the extremities indicates peripheral arterial disease without documentation of specific clinical manifestations such as claudication, rest pain, or ulceration. While this code captures the underlying vascular pathology, it represents the least specific classification and may understate disease severity if clinical symptoms are present but not coded. Peripheral arterial disease is a major predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and warrants aggressive risk factor modification and surveillance.

Documentation Requirements

✓Documentation of the specific arterial site affected by atherosclerosis
✓Specification that the atherosclerosis involves native (not grafted or bypassed) arteries
✓Documentation of the affected extremity and laterality when known
✓Ankle-brachial index or other vascular study results supporting the diagnosis
✓Query the provider regarding presence or absence of symptoms (claudication, rest pain, ulceration) to allow assignment of a more specific code
✓Cardiovascular risk factor documentation and treatment plan

Commonly Confused Codes

I70.21x — Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with intermittent claudication; use when claudication symptoms are documented I70.22x — Atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities with rest pain; use when rest pain is documented, indicating more severe disease I70.3x — Atherosclerosis of unspecified type of bypass graft of extremities; use when the affected vessel is a bypass graft, not a native artery I73.9 — Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified; a less specific code that does not specify atherosclerosis as the cause I70.0 — Atherosclerosis of aorta; use when the aorta is the affected vessel rather than the extremity arteries

Code Hierarchy

└I70Atherosclerosis └I70.2Atherosclerosis of native arteries of the extremities └I70.20Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities └I70.203Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs

└I70.203Unspecified atherosclerosis of native arteries of extremities, bilateral legs