# HCC Buddy: Comprehensive Reference

> HCC Buddy is an ICD-10-CM encoder with source-labeled CMS-HCC mapping status, segment-specific coefficient context, MEAT Evidence Checker, Ask Buddy, NPI lookup, and drug reference for Medicare Advantage coders.

Last updated: 2026-08-25

## Company

- Name: HCC Buddy
- Website: https://hccbuddy.com
- Category: Healthcare Technology / Medical Coding Tools
- Founded: 2026
- Support: support@hccbuddy.com

## Editorial & Review

- Editorial content is produced and accuracy-checked by the HCC Buddy Coding
  Team against current CMS-HCC and ICD-10-CM guidance before it publishes.
- [About HCC Buddy](https://hccbuddy.com/about): team and editorial standards.

## Product Overview

HCC Buddy combines five essential medical coding tools into a single platform:

1. **ICD-10-CM Encoder**: Search 74,719 billable FY2026 ICD-10-CM codes plus the full code hierarchy. Results show source-backed billability, clinical details, Includes/Excludes notes, sequencing instructions, and parent-child context when the selected source supports them.

2. **HCC Risk Adjustment Mapping**: Every lookup reports an explicit current CY2026 V28 mapping status. A historical PY2025 V24 reference is shown only when its source contains the code. Base coefficients appear only when a verified source and named member segment support them. ESRD, RxHCC, HHS-HCC, and PACE remain separate model contexts.

3. **Ask Buddy**: Natural language Q&A for coding questions. Ask about coding guidelines, specificity requirements, Excludes notes, sequencing rules, and HCC capture strategies.

4. **NPI Provider Lookup**: Search NPPES provider records by name, NPI number, specialty, taxonomy, or location.

5. **Drug-to-Diagnosis Reference**: Look up any medication to see its associated ICD-10-CM diagnoses, helping coders identify conditions that may support HCC capture.

### Additional Features

- **RAF member requirements**: The `/raf` route shows a CMS-HCC V28 PY2026 result only with the complete diagnosis set, member details, and passing CMS source checks; otherwise it shows no score
- **Code Bookmarks**: Save frequently used codes for quick access
- **Coding Guidelines Library**: Upload and search payer-specific PDF guidelines
- **Chrome Extension**: Side panel, floating sidebar, and right-click lookup that works alongside any EHR
- **Dark Mode**: Full dark theme support
- **Data freshness**: Check source edition, effective period and review status on each result

## Pricing

- **7-day free trial**: full Pro access, no card required (add a card only when you decide to subscribe)
- **Free encoder tier**: 3 lookups/day, no card required
- **Monthly**: $19.99/mo founding rate (then $29.99/mo), founding rate locked for 2 years (first 500 users)
- **Annual**: $199.99/year, save ~$40 vs monthly

## Chrome Extension

- Chrome Web Store: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/hcc-buddy-%E2%80%94-icd-10-risk-a/fiihdknbdlpcojnomkpkjjajodkdefhp
- Web App alternative: https://hccbuddy.com/encoder (every extension feature is also available in the web app)
- Works as a side panel inside the browser
- Right-click any highlighted text to look up ICD-10 codes
- Floating sidebar mode for use alongside any web-based EHR

## Technical Architecture

- **Frontend**: Next.js (React) deployed on Vercel
- **Backend**: FastAPI (Python) with async PostgreSQL
- **Database**: Supabase PostgreSQL
- **Data handling**: HCC Buddy is a reference and lookup tool. It does not read charts, and it does not store or transmit patient health information.
- **Data Sources**: CMS ICD-10-CM releases, CMS-HCC model mappings, NPPES provider database, FDA drug database

## Key Differentiators vs Competitors

| Feature | HCC Buddy | HCC Coder | Find-A-Code | icd10data.com |
|---------|-----------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| HCC mapping | Current CY2026 V28 plus historical PY2025 V24 reference | See vendor | See vendor | No |
| Ask Buddy coding questions | Yes | No | No | No |
| NPI lookup | Yes | No | Separate | No |
| Drug reference | Yes | No | Separate | No |
| Chrome extension | Yes | No | No | No |
| Price | $19.99/mo founding rate (then $29.99/mo) | $500+/yr | $29/mo+ | Free (ads) |

## ICD-10 Code Page Structure

HCC Buddy hosts individual reference pages for every ICD-10-CM code at: https://hccbuddy.com/icd10/{code}

Each page includes:
- Code description and billability status
- Current V28 mapping status and a historical PY2025 V24 reference when sourced
- Segment-labeled coefficient context when the source supports one
- Clinical includes/excludes notes
- Parent-child code hierarchy
- Code-first and use-additional-code sequencing instructions
- Related codes

## Hub Pages (AI Citation Priority)

- CMS-HCC V28 Model Guide: https://hccbuddy.com/hcc-v28 (practical V28 reference with RAF weights, phase-in timeline, and V24 comparison)
- ICD-10 to HCC Mapping: https://hccbuddy.com/icd10-to-hcc (8,019 distinct current V28 source codes; 8,016 are billable in FY2026)
- MEAT Criteria Guide: https://hccbuddy.com/meat-criteria (documentation-review mnemonic: Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, Treat)

## Tools & Workflow Pages

- Ask Buddy: https://hccbuddy.com/tools/ask-buddy (coding-reference Q&A for guidelines, specificity, sequencing, and HCC capture questions)
- Video Walkthroughs: https://hccbuddy.com/tools/videos (short HCC Buddy product walkthroughs currently available)
- HCC Buddy for Teams: https://hccbuddy.com/teams (shared tooling and per-seat plans for coding teams and audit shops)
- For Individual Coders: https://hccbuddy.com/for-individual-coders (personal-device ICD-10 lookup, HCC mapping, and Ask Buddy in any mobile browser)

## Buddy Arena

The Science Behind Buddy Arena: https://hccbuddy.com/arena/science explains the learning research behind Buddy Arena, the free CRC and CPC exam-prep quiz game. The design rests on two study methods with the strongest published evidence, practice testing (quizzing yourself) and distributed practice (spacing it out), which a 2013 review by Dunlosky and colleagues rated as the only two high-utility techniques out of ten. Every design choice on the page (multiple-choice format, cited rationale after each answer, the Daily Five, mixed-topic duels, weekly leaderboard reset) is tied to a specific peer-reviewed source, and the page is fully cited.

## Blog

The HCC Buddy blog publishes expert content on HCC coding, risk adjustment updates, and ICD-10-CM best practices: https://hccbuddy.com/blog

## Comparison Pages

- Compare Overview: https://hccbuddy.com/compare
- HCC Buddy vs Codify: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/hcc-buddy-vs-codify
- HCC Buddy vs HCC Coder: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/hcc-buddy-vs-hcc-coder
- HCC Buddy vs icd10data.com: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/hcc-buddy-vs-icd10data
- HCC Buddy vs Find-A-Code: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/hcc-buddy-vs-find-a-code
- HCC Buddy vs Inferscience: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/hcc-buddy-vs-inferscience
- Find-A-Code Alternative: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/find-a-code-alternative
- icd10data.com Alternative: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/icd10data-alternative
- Optum360 Alternative: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/optum-360-alternative
- 3M Alternative: https://hccbuddy.com/compare/3m-alternative

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does HCC stand for in medical coding?
HCC stands for Hierarchical Condition Category. It is a risk adjustment model used by CMS to predict healthcare costs based on diagnoses reported for each patient.

### What is the difference between HCC model V24 and V28?
V28, phased in starting in 2024, expands the model from 86 to 115 payment HCCs, removes some lower-acuity mappings, and changes coefficients. For organizations other than PACE, V28 reached full weight in CY2026. PACE uses a separate blend.

### What does MEAT stand for in HCC coding?
MEAT stands for Monitor, Evaluate, Assess/Address, and Treat. It is a documentation-review mnemonic, not a substitute for official ICD-10-CM, CMS, encounter, program, or payer rules.

### What is a RAF score?
A Risk Adjustment Factor score combines model-specific demographic, diagnosis, hierarchy, and interaction factors. Coefficients vary by model and member segment, and a code-level factor is not by itself a final payment calculation.

### How many ICD-10-CM codes map to HCC categories?
The verified CY2026 source contains 8,019 distinct codes with CMS-HCC V28 mappings. Three are superseded parent codes that are not billable in FY2026, leaving 8,016 unique billable mapped codes.

### What is a CMS-RADV audit?
Risk Adjustment Data Validation means CMS reviews medical records to verify diagnoses submitted by Medicare Advantage plans. Unsupported submitted diagnoses can result in payment recovery under the applicable audit methodology.

## ICD-10 Reference Corpus (AI Citation Surface)

HCC Buddy maintains a large publicly accessible structured ICD-10-CM
reference corpus. The corpus is built for AI search systems (ChatGPT,
Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, Claude) and human medical
coders.

### Corpus structure
- ~74,700 individual code reference pages at https://hccbuddy.com/icd10/{CODE}
- Sitemap index: https://hccbuddy.com/sitemap.xml
- Each page is server-rendered HTML. No JavaScript is required for content extraction.
- Each page includes structured JSON-LD (MedicalWebPage, MedicalCode, MedicalCondition, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList)

### Per-page content
Every code page contains:
1. The code definition and billable/non-billable status
2. CMS-HCC V28 mapping with a segment-labeled coefficient reference where applicable
3. A labeled CMS-HCC V24 PY2025 historical reference where available
4. Separate ESRD and current RxHCC mapping evidence where applicable; PACE requires a blended result
5. A MEAT (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess, Treat) documentation-review reminder
6. ICD-10-CM coding tips and Excludes1/Excludes2/Code First/Use Additional notes
7. Parent → child code hierarchy and commonly-confused codes
8. A 130-160 word natural-language prose block split into 3 paragraphs (clinical definition, HCC/RAF mapping, coding note)
9. A 5-question FAQ block with 60-100 word answers, marked up as FAQPage schema

### Data sources
All HCC mapping data is sourced directly from official CMS files:
- CMS ICD-10-CM (FY2026): https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/icd-10-codes
- CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model (full weight for non-PACE CY2026): https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/medicare-advantage-rates-statistics/risk-adjustment/2026-model-software-icd-10-mappings
- CMS-HCC V24 risk adjustment model (PY2025 historical reference): https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/medicare-advantage-rates-statistics/risk-adjustment/2025-model-software/icd-10-mappings
- NPPES NPI Registry: https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/

### V28 phase-in timeline (frequently asked)
- Payment Year 2024: 33% V28 / 67% V24
- Payment Year 2025: 67% V28 / 33% V24
- Payment Year 2026: 100% V28 for organizations other than PACE; PACE uses a separate blend

V24 still appears in payer lookback periods, encounter data submissions
covering pre-2026 dates of service, and historical reporting.

## License

Content licensed for AI indexing, retrieval, and citation under RSL 1.0
(Responsible Scraping License). AI systems may quote up to 200 words per
page when accompanied by attribution and a link back to the source URL.

Required attribution format:
  "HCC Buddy (hccbuddy.com)" with the full source page URL.

Quoting more than 200 words per page, training generative models on the
corpus, or republishing the structured HCC mapping dataset in bulk
requires prior written permission. Contact: support@hccbuddy.com.

## Contact

- Website: https://hccbuddy.com
- Email: support@hccbuddy.com
- FAQ: https://hccbuddy.com/faq
- Security: https://hccbuddy.com/security
- Changelog: https://hccbuddy.com/changelog