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HCC Risk Adjustment Coding / Audit

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We are here to serve our clients with professionalism and courtesy, while diligently processing their medical claims as efficiently as possible in order to collect all payments due from insurance companies and patients in an ethical, moral, and confidential manner.

HCC

HCC coding relies on ICD-10-CM codes to assign risk scores to patients. Each HCC is mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM codes, representing specific medical conditions. Along with demographic factors such as age and gender, insurance companies use HCC coding to calculate a patient’s Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) score. Using advanced algorithms, insurers can use the RAF score to predict future healthcare costs and determine appropriate reimbursements.


Hierarchical Condition Category Coding

Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) coding is a risk adjustment methodology developed to predict future healthcare costs based on a patient’s health status and demographic factors. Launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2004, the CMS-HCC model has gained significant traction, particularly as the healthcare industry transitions toward value-based care and reimbursement models.

HCC coding important?

Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) coding plays a critical role in capturing patient complexity and providing a comprehensive view of their overall health status. Beyond predicting healthcare resource utilization, Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) scores are used to adjust quality and cost metrics based on the level of patient risk. By accounting for differences in patient complexity, this approach ensures that quality and cost performance are measured more accurately and equitably.

  • Physician
  • Facility Coding
  • Ambulance Coding
  • Ambulatory Surgery Center
  • HCC Risk
    Adjustment Coding


Risk Adjustment and Value-Based Payment

Risk adjustment plays a crucial role in value-based payment (VBP) models, where a practice’s revenue is tied to its performance on cost and quality metrics. Accurate risk adjustment ensures that patient complexity is properly reflected. If risk scores are too low, it may appear that patients had unexpectedly high costs or poor outcomes, which can negatively impact performance ratings and lead to lost revenue opportunities—such as missing out on shared savings. In models like capitation, payments are often based on the average Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) score of a patient panel. For instance, in Primary Care First, the Population-Based Payment (PBP) is determined using the average RAF of a practice’s attributed patients. Practices serving more complex patients receive higher payments, recognizing the increased resources and care those patients require.

01.Reminders for HCC coding

Risk adjustment scores reset annually. Practices must report all active diagnoses each year, including chronic conditions.

  • Annual Wellness Visits are key opportunities to capture all appropriate diagnoses.

  • HCCs are additive—code all current conditions that impact care or treatment.

  • Do not code conditions that are resolved and no longer exist.

  • Use history codes as secondary only if past conditions or family history affect current care.

  • Documentation must support each reported diagnosis.

  • Coding must follow ICD-10-CM guidelines.

Documentation Standards:

  • Follow the MEAT criteria: Monitored, Evaluated, Assessed, or Treated.

  • Unsupported diagnoses can be denied in audits.

  • Adhere strictly to ICD-10-CM coding guidelines.