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I50.31 ICD-10-CM Code: Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure

I50.31 maps to CMS-HCC V28 225 (RAF 0.360). Documentation must support MEAT. MEAT criteria · RAF calculator · free HCC coding tools

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FY 2026 Apr update / Diseases of the circulatory system (I00-I99) / Other forms of heart disease (I30-I5A)

I50.31

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

Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure

A sudden onset of diastolic heart failure where the heart muscle becomes stiff and cannot relax properly, preventing normal blood filling and causing acute symptoms.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

Acute diastolic congestive heart failure represents a sudden onset of heart failure due to diastolic dysfunction, where the stiffened heart cannot fill adequately.

CMS-HCC V28

HCC 225

RAF 0.360

CMS-HCC V24

HCC 85

RAF 0.331

ACA/HHS

HCC 130

Varies by metal level

ESRD/PACE

HCC 85

RAF 0.063

RXHCC

HCC 186

RAF 0.110

Code Book Path

Official
I50Heart failure
I50.3Diastolic (congestive) heart failure
I50.31Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure

Inclusion Terms

Official
  • Diastolic left ventricular heart failure
  • Heart failure with normal ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction [HFpEF]

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for I50.31 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official
I50.30Unspecified diastolic (congestive) heart failure
I50.32Chronic diastolic (congestive) heart failure
I50.33Acute on chronic diastolic (congestive) heart failure

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for I50.31 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official
  • combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure (I50.4-)

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for I50.31 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for I50.31 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official
  • end stage heart failure, if applicable (I50.84)

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Provider must explicitly document 'acute' diastolic heart failure
Clinical markers of acuity: sudden onset dyspnea, pulmonary edema, acute fluid overload
Ejection fraction demonstrating preserved systolic function (typically 50% or greater)
Precipitating factors such as hypertensive crisis, rapid atrial fibrillation, or acute ischemia

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
Provider must explicitly document 'acute' diastolic heart failure
Clinical markers of acuity: sudden onset dyspnea, pulmonary edema, acute fluid overload
Ejection fraction demonstrating preserved systolic function (typically 50% or greater)
Precipitating factors such as hypertensive crisis, rapid atrial fibrillation, or acute ischemia

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
Coding acute diastolic heart failure when the patient has known chronic disease with acute worsening — should be I50.33
Assuming preserved ejection fraction means no heart failure — diastolic heart failure has preserved ejection fraction
Using this code for outpatient visits after the acute episode has resolved
Not recognizing flash pulmonary edema as a presentation of acute diastolic heart failure

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
I50.33 — Acute on chronic diastolic heart failure: use when patient has known chronic diastolic heart failure with acute worsening
I50.32 — Chronic diastolic heart failure: use for long-standing diastolic dysfunction without acute exacerbation
I50.21 — Acute systolic heart failure: systolic involves reduced ejection fraction
I50.30 — Unspecified diastolic heart failure: does not specify acuity

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 I50.31 an HCC code?

Yes. I50.31 (Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure) maps to Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic) under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model (and Congestive Heart Failure under V24), with a community non-dual aged RAF of 0.360. It is billable for payment year 2026.

Coder answer: I50.31 is billable and maps to V28 HCC 225, Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic). Open it in the Code Book for the tabular path, RAF, and MEAT checklist.

Code
I50.31
Description
Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure
HCC (V28)
HCC 225 — Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic)
RAF
0.360
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 225, Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic)
0.360
V24HCC 85, Congestive Heart Failure
0.331
ESRDHCC 85, Congestive Heart Failure
0.063
RxHCCHCC 186, Heart Failure
0.110

Each model's RAF is its CMS base weight for that model's standard population, so 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 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.

Work I50.31 in the Code Book — tabular path, V28 RAF, and MEAT checklist →

MEAT Criteria for I50.31

For I50.31 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 I50.31 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

Coder workflow notes

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What This Code Means

I50.31 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure. A sudden onset of diastolic heart failure where the heart muscle becomes stiff and cannot relax properly, preventing normal blood filling and causing acute symptoms. I50.31 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for diseases of the circulatory system (i00-i99), within the section covering other forms of heart disease (i30-i5a).

Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, I50.31 maps to Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic) (HCC 225) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.360. Under the older CMS-HCC V24 model, I50.31 maps to Congestive Heart Failure (HCC 85) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.331. 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 documentation explicitly states 'acute' diastolic dysfunction or heart failure. Because I50.31 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 I50.31 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Verify documentation explicitly states 'acute' diastolic dysfunction or heart failure
  • Distinguish from chronic diastolic heart failure by looking for recent onset or acute decompensation

Clinical Significance

Acute diastolic congestive heart failure represents a sudden onset of heart failure due to diastolic dysfunction, where the stiffened heart cannot fill adequately. Acute presentations often involve flash pulmonary edema, particularly in the setting of hypertensive crisis. These patients require urgent management but may have preserved ejection fraction on echocardiography.

Documentation Requirements

  • Provider must explicitly document 'acute' diastolic heart failure
  • Clinical markers of acuity: sudden onset dyspnea, pulmonary edema, acute fluid overload
  • Ejection fraction demonstrating preserved systolic function (typically 50% or greater)
  • Precipitating factors such as hypertensive crisis, rapid atrial fibrillation, or acute ischemia
  • Treatment response including diuretics, antihypertensives, oxygen therapy
  • Distinction from acute on chronic — this code implies no pre-existing chronic diastolic heart failure

Commonly Confused Codes

  • I50.33: Acute on chronic diastolic heart failure: use when patient has known chronic diastolic heart failure with acute worsening
  • I50.32: Chronic diastolic heart failure: use for long-standing diastolic dysfunction without acute exacerbation
  • I50.21: Acute systolic heart failure: systolic involves reduced ejection fraction
  • I50.30: Unspecified diastolic heart failure: does not specify acuity
  • J81.0: Acute pulmonary edema: a manifestation, not a substitute for the heart failure code

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

Because I50.31 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.

I50.31 maps to CMS-HCC V28 category 225, Acute Heart Failure (Excludes Acute on Chronic). See the ICD-10 to HCC mapping hub for how the V28 crosswalk works. Because I50.31 carries a payment HCC, you can see what it adds to a RAF score and check the documentation the chart needs before it is submitted.

More on I50.31

Related condition guides

Referenced in blog posts

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