F50.020
BillableAnorexia nervosa, binge eating/purging type, mild
Last updated: FY2026 ICD-10-CM (Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026) | CMS-HCC V28 (100% phase-in, PY2026)
Is F50.020 an HCC code?
Yes. F50.020 maps to Personality Disorders and Dissociative Disorders under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model.
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 F50.020
For F50.020 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 F50.020 during that encounter — not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.
What This Code Means
F50.020 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for anorexia nervosa, binge eating/purging type, mild. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where a person severely restricts food intake due to an intense fear of gaining weight. In the binge eating/purging type, the person periodically consumes large amounts of food and then uses purging methods (like vomiting or laxatives) to prevent weight gain, with 'mild' indicating less severe symptoms or medical complications. F50.020 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders (f01-f99), within the section covering behavioral syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors (f50-f59).
Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, F50.020 maps to Personality Disorders and Dissociative Disorders (HCC 153) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 1.241. F50.020 was not retained as a payment HCC under the older V24 model, so V28 introduced or recategorized it during the 2024–2026 phase-in. 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 severity level (mild, moderate, severe) is documented by the provider, as F50.020 specifically indicates mild severity and cannot be assumed. Because F50.020 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 F50.020 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.
Coding Tips
- •Verify the severity level (mild, moderate, severe) is documented by the provider, as F50.020 specifically indicates mild severity and cannot be assumed
- •Ensure the binge eating/purging subtype is clearly documented in the clinical record to distinguish from the restrictive type (F50.01x codes)
Clinical Significance
Anorexia nervosa, binge eating/purging type involves episodes of binge eating and/or purging (self-induced vomiting, laxative/diuretic misuse) in a patient who meets low-weight criteria for anorexia nervosa. Mild severity indicates BMI at or above 17 kg/m2 with binge/purge episodes. This subtype carries additional risks of electrolyte imbalances, esophageal tears, and dental erosion compared to the restricting type.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Documentation of binge eating episodes and/or purging behaviors (vomiting, laxatives, diuretics) in the context of low body weight
- ✓Current BMI or weight documenting severity (BMI greater than or equal to 17 kg/m2)
- ✓Distinction from bulimia nervosa (patient must meet low-weight criteria for anorexia nervosa)
- ✓Frequency of binge/purge episodes
- ✓Medical monitoring for purging complications (electrolytes, dental health, esophageal integrity, cardiac status)
Commonly Confused Codes
- •F50.01x (Anorexia nervosa, restricting type) — NO binge/purge behaviors present in restricting type
- •F50.2x (Bulimia nervosa) — patient is at NORMAL or above-normal weight, unlike anorexia nervosa binge/purge type
- •F50.81x (Binge eating disorder) — no compensatory purging behaviors and typically overweight/obese
- •F50.00 (Anorexia nervosa, unspecified) — use the specific type code when binge/purge behaviors are documented
- •E87.6 (Hypokalemia) — common complication to code separately