About

About HCC Buddy

Learn why HCC Buddy was built: affordable, privacy-first ICD-10-CM and HCC coding tools made for risk adjustment coders.

Built around chart review

CMS-current source files

The story

Built because HCC coders deserved better than patched-together tabs.

HCC Buddy started from the kind of chart-review frustration coders know well: one tab for ICD-10-CM, another for HCC mapping, another for RAF context, and still another for documentation reminders.

The first version was a Chrome extension for faster reviews. It grew into a full encoder with ICD-10 code search, HCC category mapping, drug-to-diagnosis cross-referencing, NPI lookup, Ask Buddy, and documentation prompts.

The mission is still simple. Give coders a practical, affordable tool that answers the questions they actually check during real chart review.

What the product is built to answer

✓Is this ICD-10-CM code billable for the code set?

✓Does this exact code map in CMS-HCC V28 or V24?

✓What RAF context should I see before I rely on it?

✓What documentation detail would an auditor expect?

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Or see the whole HCC coding software toolkit.

Source freshness

How the data stays current

Coding accuracy depends on which source file the encoder is reading from. HCC Buddy keeps the major data sets separate and refreshed so coders can tell whether an answer reflects the current model or retrospective work.

ICD-10-CM tabular list

Loaded from the CMS ICD-10-CM release page. October 1 fiscal-year updates and April 1 mid-year updates ship on a fixed refresh cadence.

View CMS source

CMS-HCC V28 model

Sourced from CMS Risk Adjustment Model Output. V28 is the default model shown beside every HCC-mapped code for payment year 2026.

CMS-HCC V24 model

Maintained alongside V28 for retrospective claims, RADV samples, and payment-year work that still needs a V24 comparison.

NPPES NPI registry

Pulled from the CMS NPPES weekly export so provider search reflects the published National Plan and Provider Enumeration System data.

Methodology

Documentation support stays tied to code context.

HCC Buddy does not interpret MEAT for a specific patient encounter. It surfaces the prompts a coder should look for so a mapped diagnosis can also be checked for clinical support.

Code context

Billable code pages show ICD-10 inclusion notes, Excludes 1 and Excludes 2 notes, Code First and Use Additional Code hierarchy, sibling specificity, and source period.

Model context

HCC mapping appears with V28 and V24 model details, RAF coefficient, and the model period so coders can keep current and retrospective work separate.

Documentation prompts

MEAT reminders help coders look for Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat support before treating a mapped diagnosis as audit-ready.

Privacy posture

Built for deidentified coding work.

The encoder, Ask Buddy, Chrome extension, and API operate on ICD-10 code numbers, drug names, NPI numbers, and clinical concepts. Member identifiers and chart text do not belong in HCC Buddy workflows.

Smart Notes save locally by default. If a coder opts into sync, only deidentified note text is transmitted.

Principles

What we stand for

Privacy-First

Protected Health Information never enters the product. HCC Buddy works on deidentified codes and clinical concepts only, so there is nothing of yours to store, transmit, or log.

Coder-Focused Design

Every feature is designed around the HCC risk adjustment workflow, not bolted on as an afterthought.

Affordable Pricing

7-day free trial, no card required. $19.99/month founding rate, $199.99/year. No enterprise sales calls required.

Continuous Improvement

Regular updates driven by real coder feedback. New ICD-10 code sets loaded every fiscal year.

People

Meet the team

Daniel Plasencia

Founder and creator of HCC Buddy

Daniel built HCC Buddy after watching coders fight expensive, fragmented tools that never quite did what they needed.

Editorial review

How HCC Buddy content is checked

Every blog post, condition guide, and coding tip is checked against the current CMS-HCC model and the active FY ICD-10-CM tabular release before it ships. Code data is regenerated from the official CMS source files, and coding claims must trace to a primary source before anything publishes.