Skip to content

E27.3 ICD-10-CM Code: Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency

ICD-10-CM Code View

HCC Buddy Code Card

Digital ICD-10 code-book layout with official code detail, always-visible risk models, Code Trumping, and Buddy coding guidance.

FY 2026 Apr update / Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E89) / Disorders of other endocrine glands (E20-E35)

E27.3

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

Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency

Adrenal gland failure caused by medications, most commonly corticosteroids used to treat other conditions.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency most commonly results from chronic exogenous glucocorticoid therapy that suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, causing adrenal atrophy.

CMS-HCC V28

0

0

RAF 0

CMS-HCC V24

HCC 23

RAF 0.230

ACA/HHS

0

0

RAF 0

ESRD/PACE

HCC 23

RAF 0.0

RXHCC

HCC 43

RAF 0.0

Code Trumping

Basket needed

Code Book Path

Official
E27Other disorders of adrenal gland
E27.3Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency

Inclusion Terms

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list inclusion terms for E27.3 in this effective period.

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for E27.3 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official
E27.0Other adrenocortical overactivity
E27.1Primary adrenocortical insufficiency
E27.2Addisonian crisis
E27.4Other and unspecified adrenocortical insufficiency
E27.5Adrenomedullary hyperfunction

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for E27.3 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for E27.3 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for E27.3 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official
  • code for adverse effect, if applicable, to identify drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5)

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for E27.3 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Document the specific causative medication, duration of use, dose at time of insufficiency onset, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test results, tapering plan, and whether the condition is expected to be reversible.

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
Document the specific causative medication, duration of use, dose at time of insufficiency onset, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test results, tapering plan, and whether the condition is expected to be reversible.

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
Always assign an additional adverse effect code for the causative drug.
This code represents the adrenal insufficiency from drug suppression, not the Cushing-like effects of active steroid use (E24.2).
Ensure documentation links the insufficiency to a specific medication.

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
E27.1 (primary adrenocortical insufficiency from intrinsic adrenal disease), E27.2 (Addisonian crisis if acute decompensation occurs), E24.2 (drug-induced Cushing syndrome, the opposite scenario from steroid excess), E27.40 (unspecified adrenocortical insufficiency).

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 E27.3 an HCC code?

Yes. E27.3 maps to Other Significant Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders under the V24 model but is not retained in V28.

HCC Category Mapping

V24HCC 23, Other Significant Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
0.230
ESRDHCC 23, Other Significant Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
0.000
RxHCCHCC 43, Other Significant Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
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 E27.3

For E27.3to 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 E27.3 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

What This Code Means

E27.3 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency. Adrenal gland failure caused by medications, most commonly corticosteroids used to treat other conditions. E27.3 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (e00-e89), within the section covering disorders of other endocrine glands (e20-e35).

Under the older CMS-HCC V24 model, E27.3 maps to Other Significant Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (HCC 23) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.230. 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.

Always document the specific medication causing the insufficiency and code the drug interaction. Because E27.3 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 E27.3 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Always document the specific medication causing the insufficiency and code the drug interaction
  • Consider if this is reversible upon medication discontinuation versus permanent damage

Clinical Significance

Drug-induced adrenocortical insufficiency most commonly results from chronic exogenous glucocorticoid therapy that suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, causing adrenal atrophy. Upon abrupt discontinuation or dose reduction, patients lack the ability to mount an appropriate cortisol response to stress, risking adrenal crisis.

Documentation Requirements

  • Document the specific causative medication, duration of use, dose at time of insufficiency onset, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test results, tapering plan, and whether the condition is expected to be reversible.

Use Additional Code

  • code for adverse effect, if applicable, to identify drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5)

Commonly Confused Codes

  • E27.1 (primary adrenocortical insufficiency from intrinsic adrenal disease), E27.2 (Addisonian crisis if acute decompensation occurs), E24.2 (drug-induced Cushing syndrome, the opposite scenario from steroid excess), E27.40 (unspecified adrenocortical insufficiency).

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

Because E27.3 maps to a payment HCC, the documentation must also satisfy MEAT criteria (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) for the encounter to count toward the patient's risk adjustment score.

Work E27.3 in HCC Buddy

Open E27.3 in the Code Book for the full Index-to-Tabular path, MEAT checklist, and V28 HCC mapping, or in the Encoder to code from a keyword search. Pro includes 14 days to try everything.