B06.82
BillableRubella arthritis
Last updated: FY2026 ICD-10-CM (Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026) | CMS-HCC V28 (100% phase-in, PY2026)
Is B06.82 an HCC code?
Yes. B06.82 maps to Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model (and Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis under V24).
HCC Category Mapping
RAF weights shown are the community, non-dual, aged base weights from the CMS risk adjustment model file. Actual per-patient RAF contribution depends on member segment, interactions, and the model year used by the payer. V28 is the CMS-HCC model phased in over payment years 2024–2026; V24 remains in use during the transition and for historical data.
MEAT Criteria for B06.82
For B06.82 to count as a valid HCC diagnosis in a given encounter, the provider's documentation must show MEAT: Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat. A diagnosis from a prior year does not carry forward automatically — it has to be re-documented and supported each calendar year.
- MMonitor: signs, symptoms, disease progression, or lab trending documented in the note
- EEvaluate: test results, medication response, or physical findings reviewed by the provider
- AAssess: explicit mention in the assessment or plan with acknowledgment of status
- TTreat: medication, referral, procedure, therapy, or counseling tied to the diagnosis
Only one of M/E/A/T is required to support the code, but the documentation must be specific enough to show that the provider actually addressed B06.82 during that encounter — not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.
What This Code Means
B06.82 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for rubella arthritis. Joint pain and inflammation that occurs as a complication of rubella (German measles) infection. B06.82 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for certain infectious and parasitic diseases (a00-b99), within the section covering viral infections characterized by skin and mucous membrane lesions (b00-b09).
Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, B06.82 maps to Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis (HCC 92) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.209. Under the older V24 model, B06.82 mapped to the same category but with a base RAF weight of 0.482 — V28 recalibrated weights across the entire model. V28 is the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model that reached 100% phase-in for payment year 2026, replacing V24 which was used during the PY2024–PY2025 transition.
Document which joints are affected if specified in clinical notes. Because B06.82 maps to a payment HCC, the provider's documentation must satisfy MEAT criteria (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) for the encounter to count toward the patient's Medicare Advantage risk adjustment score. When documentation is ambiguous, coders should issue a provider query rather than assume the highest-specificity variant.
HCC Buddy maintains structured V28 and V24 mapping, RAF weights, and MEAT documentation criteria for B06.82 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.
Coding Tips
- •Document which joints are affected if specified in clinical notes
- •Ensure rubella infection is confirmed before coding this complication
Clinical Significance
Rubella arthritis is a joint complication of rubella (German measles) infection, more common in adult women than children. While rubella is rare in vaccinated populations, it remains relevant in unvaccinated or international populations, and the arthritis can persist for weeks to months after the acute infection resolves.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Confirmed rubella infection (positive rubella IgM or rising IgG titers, or viral culture/PCR)
- ✓Joint involvement documented: which joints, symmetry, duration of symptoms
- ✓Vaccination history (to assess likelihood of rubella vs. vaccine-related arthritis)
- ✓Timeline: arthritis onset relative to rubella rash or exposure
- ✓Distinction from post-vaccination arthritis if rubella vaccine was recently administered