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G12.25 ICD-10-CM Code: Progressive spinal muscle atrophy

G12.25 maps to CMS-HCC V28 190. A source-labeled RAF reference is available. Confirm the documented diagnosis and applicable coding requirements. MEAT criteria · RAF Calculator · HCC coding software

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Code lookupG12.25

FY 2026 Apr update / Diseases of the nervous system (G00-G99) / Systemic atrophies primarily affecting the central nervous system (G10-G14)

G12.25

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

Progressive spinal muscle atrophy

A progressive disease affecting the nerve cells in the spinal cord that control leg and trunk muscles, causing gradual weakness and wasting.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

Progressive spinal muscle atrophy is a lower motor neuron variant of motor neuron disease causing gradual muscle weakness and wasting, primarily in the legs and trunk.

CMS-HCC V28

HCC 190

Coefficient HCC 190: 1.175 (Community Non-Dual Aged (CNA))

CMS-HCC V24

Historical

Historical

Not used for CY2026 payment

ACA/HHS

HCC 111

Code-level coefficient reference

ESRD/PACE

HCC 73

Code-level coefficient reference

RXHCC

HCC 154

Code-level coefficient reference

Inclusion Terms

Official

No inclusion terms are included in this display for G12.25. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Excludes 2

Official
  • certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)Inherited from G00-G99
  • certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)Inherited from G00-G99
  • complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)Inherited from G00-G99
  • congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)Inherited from G00-G99
  • endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)Inherited from G00-G99
  • injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)Inherited from G00-G99
  • neoplasms (C00-D49)Inherited from G00-G99
  • symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)Inherited from G00-G99

Includes

Official

No Includes notes are included in this display for G12.25. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Excludes 1

Official

No Excludes 1 notes are included in this display for G12.25. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Code First

Official

No Code First sequencing instructions are included in this display for G12.25. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Use Additional

Official

No Use Additional Code instructions are included in this display for G12.25. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Code Also

Official

No Code Also instructions are included in this display for G12.25. Check the code and parent instructions in the Code Book.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Lower motor neuron signs documented (muscle atrophy, fasciculations, hyporeflexia)
Absence of upper motor neuron signs (no spasticity, no hyperreflexia, no Babinski)
Electromyography showing denervation pattern in spinal muscles
Progressive weakness and wasting primarily in limbs and trunk

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
Lower motor neuron signs documented (muscle atrophy, fasciculations, hyporeflexia)
Absence of upper motor neuron signs (no spasticity, no hyperreflexia, no Babinski)
Electromyography showing denervation pattern in spinal muscles
Progressive weakness and wasting primarily in limbs and trunk

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
Confusing progressive spinal muscle atrophy with spinal muscular atrophy (G12.0, G12.1) which is a genetic childhood disease
Coding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when only lower motor neuron signs are present
Not monitoring for development of upper motor neuron signs which would indicate reclassification to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Failing to document the specific pattern of lower motor neuron involvement

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
G12.21 — Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: involves upper motor neurons in addition to lower; progressive spinal muscle atrophy is lower only
G12.1 — Other inherited spinal muscular atrophy: genetic childhood/adolescent onset disease, different from adult progressive form
G12.22 — Progressive bulbar palsy: predominantly affects bulbar muscles rather than spinal muscles
G12.23 — Primary lateral sclerosis: upper motor neuron only, opposite pattern from progressive spinal muscle atrophy

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 G12.25 an HCC code?

Yes. G12.25 (Progressive spinal muscle atrophy) maps to HCC 190, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, with a source-labeled community non-dual aged reference coefficient of 1.175. 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: G12.25 is billable and maps to V28 HCC 190, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Open it in the Code Book for the tabular path, RAF, and MEAT checklist.

Code
G12.25
Description
Progressive spinal muscle atrophy
HCC (V28)
HCC 190 — Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy
RAF reference coefficient
1.175
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 190, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy
1.175
ESRDHCC 73, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease
Not separately weighted
RxHCCHCC 154, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease
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 G12.25 in the Code Book — tabular path, V28 RAF reference, and MEAT checklist →

MEAT review for G12.25

For G12.25, confirm that the documentation supports the diagnosis and meets the applicable coding, encounter, program and payer requirements. MEAT (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) is a review mnemonic, not a universal CMS coding rule.

  • 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

Coder workflow notes

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What This Code Means

G12.25 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for progressive spinal muscle atrophy. A progressive disease affecting the nerve cells in the spinal cord that control leg and trunk muscles, causing gradual weakness and wasting. G12.25 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for diseases of the nervous system (g00-g99), within the section covering systemic atrophies primarily affecting the central nervous system (g10-g14).

Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, G12.25 maps to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (HCC 190) with a source-labeled community, non-dual, aged reference coefficient of 1.175. No V24 mapping is shown for G12.25; use the applicable model and payment year when reviewing the V28 mapping. For CY2026 non-PACE Medicare Advantage, CMS uses 100% of the 2024 CMS-HCC model (V28). PACE uses a separate model blend. 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.

Document the distribution of muscle weakness (lower extremities, trunk) to support this diagnosis. For G12.25, confirm that the documentation supports the diagnosis and meets the applicable coding, encounter, program and payer requirements. MEAT (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) is a review mnemonic, not a universal CMS coding rule. 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 G12.25 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Document the distribution of muscle weakness (lower extremities, trunk) to support this diagnosis
  • Differentiate from bulbar-onset disease by confirming primary spinal muscle involvement

Clinical Significance

Progressive spinal muscle atrophy is a lower motor neuron variant of motor neuron disease causing gradual muscle weakness and wasting, primarily in the legs and trunk. It progresses more slowly than amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and has better survival, but still causes significant disability through progressive proximal and distal weakness.

Documentation Requirements

  • Lower motor neuron signs documented (muscle atrophy, fasciculations, hyporeflexia)
  • Absence of upper motor neuron signs (no spasticity, no hyperreflexia, no Babinski)
  • Electromyography showing denervation pattern in spinal muscles
  • Progressive weakness and wasting primarily in limbs and trunk
  • Distribution of weakness documented (proximal vs distal, upper vs lower extremity)
  • Serial examinations confirming progressive lower motor neuron pattern

Commonly Confused Codes

  • G12.21: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: involves upper motor neurons in addition to lower; progressive spinal muscle atrophy is lower only
  • G12.1: Other inherited spinal muscular atrophy: genetic childhood/adolescent onset disease, different from adult progressive form
  • G12.22: Progressive bulbar palsy: predominantly affects bulbar muscles rather than spinal muscles
  • G12.23: Primary lateral sclerosis: upper motor neuron only, opposite pattern from progressive spinal muscle atrophy

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

G12.25 code history

Code setChange
FY2018 (effective Oct 1, 2017)Added to the code set

Source: official CMS ICD-10-CM order and addenda files, FY2016 through FY2027.

Also searched as

  • G12 25
  • G1225

For G12.25, confirm that the documentation supports the diagnosis and meets the applicable coding, encounter, program and payer requirements. MEAT (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, or Treat) is a review mnemonic, not a universal CMS coding rule.

G12.25 maps to CMS-HCC V28 category 190, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. See the ICD-10 to HCC mapping hub for how the V28 crosswalk works. The mapping identifies a payment HCC category for G12.25. 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.

Work G12.25 in HCC Buddy

Open G12.25 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.