2025 ICD-10-CM code R70
Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and abnormality of plasma viscosity.
The medical necessity for using R70 lies in the need to document an abnormal laboratory finding that requires further investigation or monitoring. The abnormal ESR or plasma viscosity itself does not establish a diagnosis but points to the potential need for further workup to determine the underlying condition.
Clinicians ordering blood tests and interpreting the results of ESR and plasma viscosity are responsible for further investigation and determining the underlying cause of abnormal findings.
- R: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- R70-R79: Abnormal findings on examination of blood, without diagnosis
In simple words: This code indicates that a blood test showed faster-than-normal settling of red blood cells and/or thicker-than-normal blood plasma, but the reason for this is not yet known.
This code represents a finding of elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and/or abnormal plasma viscosity, without a definitive diagnosis explaining these abnormalities.It is used when further investigation is needed or when the cause remains unknown.
Example 1: A patient presents with fatigue and joint pain.Blood tests reveal an elevated ESR, but no other abnormalities are found.R70 is used while further investigation is conducted to determine the cause., A patient undergoing routine health screening is found to have an abnormally high plasma viscosity.There are no other symptoms or signs of disease.R70 is used as a placeholder until a diagnosis can be made., A patient with a known autoimmune disorder has routine blood work which demonstrates a significantly increased ESR. In this case, R70 might not be the primary code used but may accompany the code for the autoimmune condition if the ESR is being tracked.
Documentation should include the ESR and plasma viscosity values, the method used for testing, and details of any symptoms or other clinical findings.If further investigations are planned or conducted, these should also be documented.
** It is important to note that R70 may be a temporary code. When using this code, always consider the need for further investigation to identify the underlying condition causing the elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate or abnormality of plasma viscosity.
- Specialties:General practice, internal medicine, rheumatology, hematology (and potentially other specialties depending on clinical scenario)
- Place of Service:Office, Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Independent Clinic, and others as applicable based on the clinical scenario.