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E13.36 ICD-10-CM Code: Other specified diabetes mellitus with diabetic cataract

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FY 2026 Apr update / Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E89) / Diabetes mellitus (E08-E13)

E13.36

Billable / SpecificICD-10-CMOfficial ICD-10-CMCodebook guidance

Other specified diabetes mellitus with diabetic cataract

A type of diabetes (not type 1 or type 2) that causes clouding of the eye lens, leading to vision problems or blindness.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

E13.

CMS-HCC V28

HCC 37

RAF 0.245

CMS-HCC V24

HCC 18

RAF 0.302

ACA/HHS

0

0

RAF 0

ESRD/PACE

HCC 18

RAF 0.0

RXHCC

HCC 30

RAF 0.0

Code Trumping

Basket needed

Code Book Path

Official
E13Other specified diabetes mellitus
E13.3Other specified diabetes mellitus with ophthalmic complications
E13.36Other specified diabetes mellitus with diabetic cataract

Inclusion Terms

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list inclusion terms for E13.36 in this effective period.

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for E13.36 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official
E13.31Other specified diabetes mellitus with unspecified diabetic retinopathy
E13.32Other specified diabetes mellitus with mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy
E13.33Other specified diabetes mellitus with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy
E13.34Other specified diabetes mellitus with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy
E13.35Other specified diabetes mellitus with proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for E13.36 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for E13.36 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for E13.36 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for E13.36 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for E13.36 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
The provider must document the secondary diabetes type with its underlying cause and confirm that the cataract is directly attributed to the diabetes.
Ophthalmology examination findings including lens opacity characteristics should be documented.
Age-related cataracts in a diabetic patient should not automatically be coded as diabetic cataracts.

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
The provider must document the secondary diabetes type with its underlying cause and confirm that the cataract is directly attributed to the diabetes.
Ophthalmology examination findings including lens opacity characteristics should be documented.
Age-related cataracts in a diabetic patient should not automatically be coded as diabetic cataracts.

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
A cataract in a diabetic patient is not automatically a diabetic cataract
the provider must establish a causal link. If the cataract is age-related and occurs incidentally in a diabetic patient, code H25.x instead. Query the provider if the relationship is unclear.

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
H25.x (age-related cataract) when the cataract is not documented as diabetes-related
E13.39 (other ophthalmic complication) for eye manifestations other than cataracts
E11.36 (type 2 diabetes with cataract) when diabetes is type 2.

Last updated: FY2026 ICD-10-CM Apr update, Apr 1, 2026 through Sep 30, 2026. CMS-HCC V28 is 100% phased in for payment year 2026.

Is E13.36 an HCC code?

Yes. E13.36 maps to Diabetes with Chronic Complications under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model (and Diabetes with Chronic Complications under V24).

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 37, Diabetes with Chronic Complications
0.245
V24HCC 18, Diabetes with Chronic Complications
0.302
ESRDHCC 18, Diabetes with Chronic Complications
0.000
RxHCCHCC 30, Diabetes with Complications
0.000

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 E13.36

For E13.36to 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 E13.36 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

What This Code Means

E13.36 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for other specified diabetes mellitus with diabetic cataract. A type of diabetes (not type 1 or type 2) that causes clouding of the eye lens, leading to vision problems or blindness. E13.36 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (e00-e89), within the section covering diabetes mellitus (e08-e13).

Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, E13.36 maps to Diabetes with Chronic Complications (HCC 37) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.245. Under the older V24 model, E13.36 mapped to the same category but with a base RAF weight of 0.302, 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.

Verify the diabetes type is documented as 'other specified' rather than type 1 or type 2. Because E13.36 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 E13.36 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Verify the diabetes type is documented as 'other specified' rather than type 1 or type 2
  • Ensure the cataract is specifically documented as diabetic-related, not from other causes

Clinical Significance

E13.36 identifies diabetic cataract in patients with other specified (secondary) diabetes mellitus. Diabetic cataracts develop due to chronic hyperglycemia-induced osmotic changes in the lens, leading to swelling, opacity, and progressive vision impairment. These cataracts can occur at younger ages and progress more rapidly than age-related cataracts.

Documentation Requirements

  • The provider must document the secondary diabetes type with its underlying cause and confirm that the cataract is directly attributed to the diabetes.
  • Ophthalmology examination findings including lens opacity characteristics should be documented.
  • Age-related cataracts in a diabetic patient should not automatically be coded as diabetic cataracts.

Commonly Confused Codes

  • H25.x (age-related cataract) when the cataract is not documented as diabetes-related
  • E13.39 (other ophthalmic complication) for eye manifestations other than cataracts
  • E11.36 (type 2 diabetes with cataract) when diabetes is type 2.

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

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