Summary & Overview
HCPCS Level II M1387: Patient Death During Performance Period
HCPCS Level II code M1387 records patients who died during the performance period and serves as an administrative marker for mortality captured within a reporting interval. Nationally, consistent use of this code supports quality measurement, performance reporting, and reconciliation of service outcomes across care settings where death may occur, including inpatient, skilled nursing, and hospice environments. Its presence in claims and reporting systems helps payers and providers track mortality-related events tied to specific measurement periods.
Key payers in national benchmarks and analyses include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the clinical context for reporting mortality, the role of M1387 in administrative and quality reporting, and what to expect in payer coverage and claims processing practices. The publication outlines benchmarks where available, notes policy considerations affecting mortality reporting, and summarizes operational impacts for service lines that commonly record deaths during performance periods. Data not available in the input is indicated where relevant.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code M1387 denotes patients who died during the performance period. The code is used to record death events that occur while patients are under care during a specified measurement or reporting interval.
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Service type: Mortality reporting / outcome documentation
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Typical site of service: Inpatient facilities, skilled nursing facilities, hospice, and other settings where patient care is delivered and mortality may occur
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
This HCPCS Level II code M1387 is used to report a performance period in which the patient died prior to completion of the care episode or measurement interval. A realistic scenario: an enrolled patient in a home health or post-acute care program is being monitored under a quality measure or service episode. The care team documents initiation of services, but the patient expires during the performance period. Clinical workflow: initial intake and documentation of services performed are completed; the death is certified by an authorized clinician; the event is recorded in the medical record and the billing system; the coder applies M1387 to indicate the patient outcome of death during the performance period, ensuring proper closure of the episode and accurate quality reporting. Typical site of service: home health, hospice, inpatient facility, or skilled nursing facility. Typical service type: outcome/status reporting for quality measurement and episode closure when death occurs during the reporting interval. Typical patient scenario: an elderly patient with advanced heart failure enrolled in a home health program experiences progressive decline and dies at home mid-episode; the home health agency documents provided visits, notifies the physician, obtains a death certificate, and reports M1387 as the status of the performance period.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
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