What is ICD-10 code F40.233?

F40.233 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for Fear of injury. An intense fear of being injured that causes anxiety and avoidance of activities with injury risk. It belongs to the ICD-10-CM chapter for mental, behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders (f01-f99). F40.233 is a billable code, meaning it can be reported on a claim as a primary or secondary diagnosis when supported by documentation. F40.233 is part of the FY2026 ICD-10-CM code set published by the CMS National Center for Health Statistics and used on Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial claims in the United States.

Yes. F40.233 is a billable ICD-10-CM code that can be reported on professional and institutional claims as a primary or secondary diagnosis when the provider documentation supports the specific condition described. Billable codes in ICD-10-CM are coded to the highest level of specificity available for the documented diagnosis. F40.233 is current for fiscal year 2026 and remains in the active CMS ICD-10-CM code set published by the National Center for Health Statistics.

What is the V28 vs V24 difference for F40.233?

F40.233 does not map to a payment HCC under either the CMS-HCC V28 risk adjustment model or the older V24 model. V28 reached 100% phase-in for payment year 2026, replacing V24 which was used during the PY2024–PY2025 transition. Because neither model rewards F40.233 with a risk adjustment factor, it contributes zero to a Medicare Advantage beneficiary's RAF score in either version. Coders should check whether provider documentation supports a more specific child code that does map to a payment HCC.

What should coders know when reporting F40.233?

This is a blood-injection-injury type phobia Document specific injury fears (broken bones, cuts, accidents) and resulting behavioral avoidance

F40.233: Fear of injury — ICD-10

ICD-10-CM Code View

HCC Buddy Code Card

Digital ICD-10 code-book layout with official code detail, always-visible risk models, Code Trumping, and Buddy coding guidance.

Code lookupF40.233Effective periodFY2026 Apr Update (Apr 1-Sep 30)

FY 2026 Apr update / Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01-F99) / Anxiety, dissociative, stress-related, somatoform and other nonpsychotic mental disorders (F40-F48)

F40.233

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

Fear of injury

An intense fear of being injured that causes anxiety and avoidance of activities with injury risk.

Buddy Insight

Fear of injury is a blood-injection-injury subtype phobia involving intense, irrational fear of sustaining bodily harm.

CMS-HCC V28

Not risk-adjusted for this model/period.

RAF 0

CMS-HCC V24

Not risk-adjusted for this model/period.

RAF 0

ACA/HHS

Not risk-adjusted for this model/period.

RAF 0

ESRD/PACE

Not risk-adjusted for this model/period.

RAF 0

RXHCC

Mapped

HCC 133

Personality Disorders, Anxiet...

RAF 0.0

Code Trumping

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Code Book Path

Official

F40.2Specific (isolated) phobias

F40.23Blood, injection, injury type phobia

F40.233Fear of injury

Inclusion Terms

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list inclusion terms for F40.233 in this effective period.

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for F40.233 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official

F40.230Fear of blood

F40.231Fear of injections and transfusions

F40.232Fear of other medical care

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for F40.233 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for F40.233 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for F40.233 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for F40.233 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for F40.233 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance

Marked fear or anxiety about sustaining injury

Fear is disproportionate to actual risk of injury in feared situations

Consistent avoidance of activities or situations perceived as dangerous

Duration of 6+ months

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance

Marked fear or anxiety about sustaining injury

Fear is disproportionate to actual risk of injury in feared situations

Consistent avoidance of activities or situations perceived as dangerous

Duration of 6+ months

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance

Confusing fear of injury with reasonable caution — clinical phobia requires disproportionate fear and functional impairment

Not distinguishing injury phobia from PTSD, especially after a traumatic injury event

Using F40.233 when the patient's fear is actually about blood or medical treatment rather than the injury itself

Coding injury phobia when the avoidance is better explained by pain disorder or somatic symptom disorder

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance

F40.230 (Fear of blood) — Blood phobia is about seeing blood; injury phobia is about the prospect of bodily harm

F43.10 (Post-traumatic stress disorder, unspecified) — PTSD may include fear of re-injury after trauma but involves re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms

F40.298 (Other specified phobia) — Use F40.233 specifically when fear of injury is the phobic stimulus

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 F40.233 an HCC code?

No. F40.233 is a billable ICD-10-CM code but does not map to any HCC category in V28, V24, ESRD, or RxHCC.

HCC Category Mapping

RxHCCHCC 133, Personality Disorders, Anxiety, and Other Specified Mental Disorders

0.000

RAF weights shown are the community, non-dual, aged base weights from the CMS risk adjustment model file. 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.

MEAT Criteria for F40.233

For F40.233to 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 F40.233 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

What This Code Means

F40.233 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for fear of injury. An intense fear of being injured that causes anxiety and avoidance of activities with injury risk. F40.233 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).

F40.233 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.

F40.233 does not map to any HCC under V24 or V28. No ESRD mapping. RxHCC maps to RxHCC 133 at 0.0 weight. Non-risk-adjusting diagnosis. Coders reviewing F40.233 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 F40.233 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

•This is a blood-injection-injury type phobia
•Document specific injury fears (broken bones, cuts, accidents) and resulting behavioral avoidance

Clinical Significance

Fear of injury is a blood-injection-injury subtype phobia involving intense, irrational fear of sustaining bodily harm. This phobia can lead to excessive avoidance of physical activities, sports, driving, or any situation perceived as potentially injurious. It may significantly restrict daily functioning and quality of life.

Documentation Requirements

✓Marked fear or anxiety about sustaining injury
✓Fear is disproportionate to actual risk of injury in feared situations
✓Consistent avoidance of activities or situations perceived as dangerous
✓Duration of 6+ months
✓Functional impairment (reduced physical activity, social isolation, occupational limitations)
✓Current treatment plan

Commonly Confused Codes

•F40.230 (Fear of blood): Blood phobia is about seeing blood; injury phobia is about the prospect of bodily harm
•F43.10 (Post-traumatic stress disorder, unspecified): PTSD may include fear of re-injury after trauma but involves re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms
•F40.298 (Other specified phobia): Use F40.233 specifically when fear of injury is the phobic stimulus