As the Risk Adjustment payment models become more and more commonplace, it is important that we not forget about this when coding during our current public health emergency (PHE). Read below to find out more about hierarchical condition categories.nnHierarchical condition categories, or HCC’s, are assigned to diagnosis codes and reflect an aggregated value that is assigned based on illness severity. When we talk about COVID-19 and diagnosis correct coding, we have a new U code for reporting however there is code specific guidance we also must consider. When we report code U07.1 [ COVID-19], important to remember codes B34.2 [Coronavirus infection, unspecified], B97.2- [Coronavirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere], J12.81 [Pneumonia due to SARS-associated coronavirus], or J80 [Acute respiratory distress syndrome]. All of these codes should be used to identify manifestations associated with their COVID-19 diagnosis. Of these, only J80 is currently assigned an HCC value.nnGuidance is changing by the day and sometimes by the hours so it is important to make sure you are staying up to date with all guidance from CMS, WHO, and private payers.nnClick here for Official Coding and Reporting Guidelines
