Editorial Reviewer
Jess P., CPC
Certified Professional Coder (CPC), credentialed by AAPC. Reviews HCC Buddy editorial content for accuracy against current CMS-HCC and ICD-10-CM guidance.
Risk adjustment is a field where a small wording difference changes whether a diagnosis is reportable. The HCC Buddy team writes the guides, code references, and worked examples on this site; Jess P., CPC reviews them so the coding logic reflects the model year actually in effect, not last year's rules.
When you see “Medically reviewed by Jess P., CPC” on a post, it means the HCC mappings, RAF references, and MEAT guidance in that piece were checked against the current fiscal-year CMS sources before publication.
What gets reviewed
HCC mappings, RAF context, MEAT documentation guidance, and the worked examples in the blog and reference pages, checked against the current fiscal-year sources.
Sources of truth
Reviews are anchored to the active CMS-HCC model (V28 for PY2026), the CMS ICD-10-CM code set, and the official CMS risk-adjustment model software, not third-party summaries.
Why it matters
HCC coding is YMYL content. A credentialed CPC reviewing the guidance keeps the difference between an ICD-10 mapping and an audit-supported diagnosis honest.
Credential
Certified Professional Coder (CPC), credentialed by the AAPC, the certification for professional medical coders working in ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS.
Read more about the project on the About HCC Buddy page, or see how sources are handled on Coding Sources.