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F18.229 ICD-10-CM Code: Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified

F18.229 maps to CMS-HCC V28 137. A source-labeled RAF reference is available. Documentation must support MEAT. MEAT criteria · RAF Calculator · HCC Buddy coding tools

ICD-10-CM Code View

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FY 2026 Apr update / Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01-F99) / Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10-F19)

F18.229

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

Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified

A person who is dependent on inhalants and is currently intoxicated, but the severity or specific characteristics of the intoxication are not documented.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

Inhalant dependence with unspecified intoxication indicates documentation does not clarify whether delirium is present during intoxication.

CMS-HCC V28

HCC 137

Code-level coefficient reference

CMS-HCC V24

Historical

Historical

Not used for CY2026 payment

ACA/HHS

HCC 082

Code-level coefficient reference

ESRD/PACE

HCC 55

Code-level coefficient reference

RXHCC

N/A

—

Not mapped

Code Book Path

Official
F18.2Inhalant dependence
F18.22Inhalant dependence with intoxication
F18.229Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified

Inclusion Terms

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list inclusion terms for F18.229 in this effective period.

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for F18.229 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official
F18.220Inhalant dependence with intoxication, uncomplicated
F18.221Inhalant dependence with intoxication delirium

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for F18.229 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for F18.229 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for F18.229 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for F18.229 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for F18.229 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Documentation of inhalant dependence with active intoxication
Provider query for delirium status
Available clinical observations during intoxication
Vital signs and monitoring data

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
Documentation of inhalant dependence with active intoxication
Provider query for delirium status
Available clinical observations during intoxication
Vital signs and monitoring data

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
Accepting unspecified status without querying for delirium presence
Using this code when documentation clearly supports a more specific code
Not reviewing emergency or nursing notes for clinical details
Missing the severity of the clinical situation due to coding ambiguity

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
F18.220 — With uncomplicated intoxication; preferred when delirium is ruled out
F18.221 — With intoxication delirium; preferred when delirium is documented
F18.20 — Inhalant dependence, uncomplicated; use when no intoxication is occurring
F18.129 — Inhalant abuse with intoxication, unspecified; use for abuse

Current with CMS: FY2026 ICD-10-CM Apr 1 update (effective Apr 1 – Sep 30, 2026) · CMS-HCC V28, 100% phased in for payment year 2026. FY2027 code set already staged for October 1, 2026. How HCC Buddy stays current →

Is F18.229 an HCC code?

Yes. F18.229 (Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified) maps to HCC 137, Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, with a source-labeled community non-dual aged reference coefficient of 0.424. Source-labeled code-level coefficients are references, not member totals. Actual contribution depends on complete member context, hierarchy and cleanup rules, interactions, and model year. HCC Buddy's RAF Calculator supports CMS-HCC V28 PY2026 and shows no score unless every required source and calculation check passes. It is billable for payment year 2026.

Coder answer: F18.229 is billable and maps to V28 HCC 137, Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications. Open it in the Code Book for the tabular path, RAF, and MEAT checklist.

Code
F18.229
Description
Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified
HCC (V28)
HCC 137 — Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications
RAF reference coefficient
0.424
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 137, Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications
0.424
ESRDHCC 55, Substance Use Disorder/Moderate/Severe/Substance Use with Complications
Not separately weighted

These are source-labeled model coefficients, not member totals. A category may still be removed by hierarchy or model cleanup rules. Weights are not directly comparable across models: CMS-HCC V28 and V24 use Community, Non-Dual, Aged; ESRD uses the dialysis continuing-enrollee model; RxHCC is the Part D continuing-enrollee, non-low-income, aged weight (a larger scale than CMS-HCC). ACA/HHS has no single weight — it varies by metal level. Actual per-patient RAF contribution depends on member context, hierarchy and cleanup rules, interactions, and the model year used by the payer. V28 is the CMS-HCC model phased in over payment years 2024–2026; V24 remains available for historical review.

Work F18.229 in the Code Book — tabular path, V28 RAF reference, and MEAT checklist →

MEAT Criteria for F18.229

For F18.229 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 F18.229 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

Coder workflow notes

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What This Code Means

F18.229 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified. A person who is dependent on inhalants and is currently intoxicated, but the severity or specific characteristics of the intoxication are not documented. F18.229 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders (f01-f99), within the section covering mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (f10-f19).

Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, F18.229 maps to Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications (HCC 137) with a source-labeled community, non-dual, aged reference coefficient of 0.424. No V24 mapping is shown for F18.229; use the applicable model and payment year when reviewing the V28 mapping. 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. Source-labeled code-level coefficients are references, not member totals. Actual contribution depends on complete member context, hierarchy and cleanup rules, interactions, and model year. HCC Buddy's RAF Calculator supports CMS-HCC V28 PY2026 and shows no score unless every required source and calculation check passes.

This is a less specific code; attempt to determine if intoxication is uncomplicated or with delirium. Because F18.229 maps to an HCC category, the provider's documentation must satisfy MEAT criteria (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) before the diagnosis is used for risk adjustment. 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, source-labeled coefficient references, and MEAT documentation criteria for F18.229 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • •This is a less specific code; attempt to determine if intoxication is uncomplicated or with delirium
  • •Use only when intoxication details cannot be determined from documentation

Clinical Significance

Inhalant dependence with unspecified intoxication indicates documentation does not clarify whether delirium is present during intoxication. Given the high mortality risk of inhalant intoxication, this code should prompt immediate provider queries to determine the clinical severity and guide appropriate treatment.

Documentation Requirements

  • ✓Documentation of inhalant dependence with active intoxication
  • ✓Provider query for delirium status
  • ✓Available clinical observations during intoxication
  • ✓Vital signs and monitoring data
  • ✓Reason specificity cannot be achieved

Commonly Confused Codes

  • •F18.220: With uncomplicated intoxication; preferred when delirium is ruled out
  • •F18.221: With intoxication delirium; preferred when delirium is documented
  • •F18.20: Inhalant dependence, uncomplicated; use when no intoxication is occurring
  • •F18.129: Inhalant abuse with intoxication, unspecified; use for abuse

Child Codes

F18.220Inhalant dependence with intoxication, uncomplicated
HCC 137
F18.221Inhalant dependence with intoxication delirium
HCC 137
F18.229Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified
HCC 137

Code Hierarchy

└F18Inhalant related disorders└F18.2Inhalant dependence└F18.22Inhalant dependence with intoxication└F18.229Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified
└F18.229Inhalant dependence with intoxication, unspecified

Because F18.229 maps to an HCC category, the documentation must satisfy MEAT criteria (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) before the diagnosis is used for risk adjustment.

F18.229 maps to CMS-HCC V28 category 137, Drug Use Disorder, Moderate/Severe, or Drug Use with Non-Psychotic Complications. See the ICD-10 to HCC mapping hub for how the V28 crosswalk works. The mapping identifies a payment HCC category for F18.229. Review its source-labeled HCC coefficient above, check the RAF Calculator with complete member context for CMS-HCC V28 PY2026, and confirm the documentation the chart needs before the code is submitted. HCC Buddy shows no RAF score unless every required source and calculation check passes.

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Open F18.229 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 7 days to try everything, no card required.

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