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M87.045 ICD-10-CM Code: Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s)

M87.045 maps to CMS-HCC V28 92 (RAF 0.479). Documentation must support MEAT. MEAT criteria · RAF calculator · HCC Buddy coding tools

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FY 2026 Apr update / Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99) / Other osteopathies (M86-M90)

M87.045

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

Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s)

Death of bone tissue in the left finger(s) without infection, occurring without a known cause. This condition can lead to pain, loss of function, and potential collapse of the affected bone.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s) involves bone death in phalangeal structures without known cause, potentially severely compromising fine motor function and hand dexterity.

CMS-HCC V28

HCC 92

RAF 0.479

CMS-HCC V24

HCC 39

RAF 0.401

ACA/HHS

HCC 55

Varies by metal level

ESRD/PACE

HCC 39

RAF 0.092

RXHCC

HCC 80

RAF 0.204

Code Book Path

Official
M87.0Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of bone
M87.04Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of hand and fingers
M87.045Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s)

Inclusion Terms

Official
  • Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of metacarpals and phalanges of hands

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for M87.045 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official
M87.041Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of right hand
M87.042Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left hand
M87.043Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of unspecified hand
M87.044Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of right finger(s)
M87.046Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of unspecified finger(s)

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for M87.045 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for M87.045 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for M87.045 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for M87.045 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for M87.045 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Clear documentation of aseptic necrosis involving left finger bones
Confirmation of idiopathic nature without identifiable underlying cause
Radiological evidence showing bone necrosis in left finger phalanges
Specific laterality documentation indicating left finger involvement

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
Clear documentation of aseptic necrosis involving left finger bones
Confirmation of idiopathic nature without identifiable underlying cause
Radiological evidence showing bone necrosis in left finger phalanges
Specific laterality documentation indicating left finger involvement

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
Reversing laterality when documentation specifies left fingers
Defaulting to unspecified when laterality is explicitly documented
Confusing finger necrosis with hand necrosis codes
Missing drug-induced causes requiring M87.145 code assignment

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
M87.044 — Right finger(s) when laterality is incorrectly assigned
M87.046 — Unspecified finger(s) when left side is documented
M87.145 — Drug-induced left finger osteonecrosis
M87.245 — Trauma-related left finger osteonecrosis

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 M87.045 an HCC code?

Yes. M87.045 (Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s)) maps to Bone/Joint/Muscle/Severe Soft Tissue Infections/Necrosis under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model (and Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis under V24), with a community non-dual aged RAF of 0.479. It is billable for payment year 2026.

Coder answer: M87.045 is billable and maps to V28 HCC 92, Bone/Joint/Muscle/Severe Soft Tissue Infections/Necrosis. Open it in the Code Book for the tabular path, RAF, and MEAT checklist.

Code
M87.045
Description
Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s)
HCC (V28)
HCC 92 — Bone/Joint/Muscle/Severe Soft Tissue Infections/Necrosis
RAF
0.479
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 92, Bone/Joint/Muscle/Severe Soft Tissue Infections/Necrosis
0.479
V24HCC 39, Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis
0.401
ESRDHCC 39, Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis
0.092
RxHCCHCC 80, Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis
0.204

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 M87.045 in the Code Book — tabular path, V28 RAF, and MEAT checklist →

MEAT Criteria for M87.045

For M87.045 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 M87.045 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

Coder workflow notes

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What This Code Means

M87.045 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s). Death of bone tissue in the left finger(s) without infection, occurring without a known cause. This condition can lead to pain, loss of function, and potential collapse of the affected bone. M87.045 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (m00-m99), within the section covering other osteopathies (m86-m90).

Under the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model, M87.045 maps to Bone/Joint/Muscle/Severe Soft Tissue Infections/Necrosis (HCC 92) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.479. Under the older CMS-HCC V24 model, M87.045 maps to Bone/Joint/Muscle Infections/Necrosis (HCC 39) with a community, non-dual, aged base RAF weight of 0.401. 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 laterality is documented as left in the medical record before assigning this code. Because M87.045 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 M87.045 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Verify laterality is documented as left in the medical record before assigning this code
  • Confirm the condition is idiopathic (no identifiable cause) and not secondary to trauma, radiation, or other known factors

Clinical Significance

Idiopathic aseptic necrosis of left finger(s) involves bone death in phalangeal structures without known cause, potentially severely compromising fine motor function and hand dexterity. This condition can lead to pain, loss of function, and potential collapse of the affected bone requiring specialized hand surgery management.

Documentation Requirements

  • Clear documentation of aseptic necrosis involving left finger bones
  • Confirmation of idiopathic nature without identifiable underlying cause
  • Radiological evidence showing bone necrosis in left finger phalanges
  • Specific laterality documentation indicating left finger involvement
  • Clinical exclusion of infectious etiology
  • Functional assessment of left finger mobility and grip contribution
  • Treatment approach documentation including conservative or surgical management
  • Pain assessment and impact on activities requiring fine motor skills

Commonly Confused Codes

  • M87.044: Right finger(s) when laterality is incorrectly assigned
  • M87.046: Unspecified finger(s) when left side is documented
  • M87.145: Drug-induced left finger osteonecrosis
  • M87.245: Trauma-related left finger osteonecrosis
  • M87.042: Left hand when metacarpals rather than digits affected

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

Because M87.045 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.

M87.045 maps to CMS-HCC V28 category 92, Bone/Joint/Muscle/Severe Soft Tissue Infections/Necrosis. See the ICD-10 to HCC mapping hub for how the V28 crosswalk works. Because M87.045 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.

Work M87.045 in HCC Buddy

Open M87.045 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.