F40.210 ICD-10-CM Code: Arachnophobia
HCC Buddy Code Card
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FY 2026 Apr update / Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01-F99) / Anxiety, dissociative, stress-related, somatoform and other nonpsychotic mental disorders (F40-F48)
F40.210
Billable / SpecificICD-10-CMOfficial ICD-10-CMCodebook guidanceArachnophobia
An intense, irrational fear of spiders that causes significant anxiety and avoidance behavior.
Buddy Insight
Arachnophobia is a specific phobia involving an intense, irrational fear of spiders.
CMS-HCC V28
N/A—
Not mapped
CMS-HCC V24
N/A—
Not mapped
ACA/HHS
N/A—
Not mapped
ESRD/PACE
N/A—
Not mapped
RXHCC
MappedHCC 133
RAF 0.035
Code Book Path
Inclusion Terms
Official- Fear of spiders
Excludes 2
OfficialICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for F40.210 in this effective period.
Related Child Codes
Includes
OfficialICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for F40.210 in this effective period.
Excludes 1
OfficialICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for F40.210 in this effective period.
Code First
OfficialICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for F40.210 in this effective period.
Use Additional
OfficialICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for F40.210 in this effective period.
Code Also
OfficialICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for F40.210 in this effective period.
Buddy Documentation Tip
MEAT Support
Audit Caution
Common Mistakes
Last updated: FY2026 ICD-10-CM Apr update, Apr 1, 2026 through Sep 30, 2026. CMS-HCC V28 is 100% phased in for payment year 2026.
Is F40.210 an HCC code?
F40.210 is not in the CMS-HCC V28 or V24 community payment model, but it does map to Personality Disorders, Anxiety, and Other Specified Mental Disorders under the Part D RxHCC model.
- Code
- F40.210
- Description
- Arachnophobia
- HCC (V28)
- No CMS-HCC V28 mapping
- RAF
- —
- Billable
- Yes
- Payment year
- 2026
HCC Category Mapping
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 F40.210 in the Code Book — tabular path, V28 RAF, and MEAT checklist →
MEAT Criteria for F40.210
For F40.210to 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 F40.210 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.
Coder workflow notes
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What This Code Means
F40.210 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for arachnophobia. An intense, irrational fear of spiders that causes significant anxiety and avoidance behavior. F40.210 sits in the ICD-10-CM chapter for mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders (f01-f99), within the section covering anxiety, dissociative, stress-related, somatoform and other nonpsychotic mental disorders (f40-f48).
F40.210 is a billable ICD-10-CM code but does not map to a payment HCC under the CMS-HCC V28, V24, ESRD, or RxHCC risk adjustment models. It can be reported on Medicare Advantage encounter data submissions but it does not contribute to a beneficiary's RAF score and therefore does not affect risk-adjusted payments to the plan.
This code does not map to a CMS-HCC V28 payment category. Capture depends on documentation that supports the diagnosis; verify the HCC assignment against the current CMS mapping for the applicable payment year. Coders reviewing F40.210 should check whether additional documentation would support a more specific child code in the same hierarchy that does map to a payment HCC, capturing the correct specificity is the highest-impact RAF improvement available within accurate coding.
HCC Buddy maintains structured V28 and V24 mapping, RAF weights, and MEAT documentation criteria for F40.210 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.
Coding Tips
- •This is a specific phobia under the animal type category
- •Document severity and impact on daily functioning (e.g., avoidance of certain locations)
Clinical Significance
Arachnophobia is a specific phobia involving an intense, irrational fear of spiders. While it is one of the most common specific phobias, it is rarely clinically significant enough to warrant dedicated medical coding unless it causes marked functional impairment. It does not map to any HCC and carries no risk adjustment value.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Marked fear or anxiety specifically about spiders, disproportionate to actual danger
- ✓Phobic stimulus consistently provokes immediate anxiety response
- ✓Active avoidance of spiders or endurance with intense distress
- ✓Duration of 6+ months
- ✓Clinically significant distress or functional impairment
- ✓Current treatment approach if applicable (e.g., exposure therapy)
Commonly Confused Codes
- •F40.218 (Other animal type phobia): Use F40.210 specifically for spider phobia; use F40.218 for fear of other animals (snakes, dogs, insects other than spiders)
- •F40.298 (Other specified phobia): Use for phobias that do not fit into animal, natural environment, situational, or blood-injection-injury subtypes
- •F40.9 (Phobic anxiety disorder, unspecified): Use specific phobia codes when the phobic stimulus is identified