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F43.9 ICD-10-CM Code: Reaction to severe stress, unspecified

F43.9 is not a CMS-HCC payment code. MEAT criteria · RAF Calculator · HCC Buddy coding tools

ICD-10-CM Code View

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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)

F43.9

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

Reaction to severe stress, unspecified

A general category for emotional or behavioral reactions to severe stress that do not fit into more specific diagnostic categories.

CMS-HCC V28

N/A

Not mapped

CMS-HCC V24

Historical

Historical

Not used for CY2026 payment

ACA/HHS

N/A

Not mapped

ESRD/PACE

N/A

Not mapped

RXHCC

N/A

Not mapped

Code Book Path

Official
F43Reaction to severe stress, and adjustment disorders
F43.9Reaction to severe stress, unspecified

Inclusion Terms

Official
  • Trauma and stressor-related disorder, NOS
  • Unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder

Excludes 2

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 2 notes for F43.9 in this effective period.

Related Child Codes

Official
F43.0Acute stress reaction
F43.1Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
F43.2Adjustment disorders
F43.8Other reactions to severe stress

Includes

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Includes notes for F43.9 in this effective period.

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for F43.9 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for F43.9 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for F43.9 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for F43.9 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
Use this code only when the specific type of stress reaction cannot be determined or documented
Review the medical record to determine if a more specific code (F43.0, F43.10-F43.12, F43.20-F43.25, or F43.81) is more appropriate

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 F43.9 an HCC code?

No. F43.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM code with no mapping under the CMS-HCC V28 or V24 community payment models, and none under the ESRD, Part D RxHCC, or HHS-HCC models.

Code
F43.9
Description
Reaction to severe stress, unspecified
HCC (V28)
No CMS-HCC V28 mapping
RAF reference coefficient
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

Coder workflow notes

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This code does not map to an HCC category in any model (V28, V24, ESRD, RxHCC).

What This Code Means

F43.9 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for reaction to severe stress, unspecified. A general category for emotional or behavioral reactions to severe stress that do not fit into more specific diagnostic categories. F43.9 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).

F43.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM code, but the current payload does not show a mapping under the CMS-HCC V28 or V24 community payment models, and none under the ESRD, Part D RxHCC, or HHS-HCC models. Do not assign risk adjustment value from this page when no source-backed mapping is shown; verify the applicable model and payment year.

Use this code only when the specific type of stress reaction cannot be determined or documented.

HCC Buddy maintains structured V28 and V24 mapping, source-labeled coefficient references, and MEAT documentation criteria for F43.9 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Use this code only when the specific type of stress reaction cannot be determined or documented
  • Review the medical record to determine if a more specific code (F43.0, F43.10-F43.12, F43.20-F43.25, or F43.81) is more appropriate

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

Work F43.9 in HCC Buddy

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