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F44.4 ICD-10-CM Code: Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit

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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)

F44.4

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

Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit

A condition where psychological stress causes physical weakness, paralysis, or loss of motor control without any neurological disease or injury.

Buddy the Bee presenting code insight

Buddy Insight

Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit (functional neurological symptom disorder) involves neurological symptoms such as weakness, paralysis, abnormal movements, or gait disturbance that are incompatible with recognized neurological conditions.

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

HCC 133

RAF 0.035

Code Book Path

Official
F44Dissociative and conversion disorders
F44.4Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit

Inclusion Terms

Official
  • Conversion disorder with abnormal movement
  • Conversion disorder with speech symptoms
  • Conversion disorder with swallowing symptoms
  • Conversion disorder with weakness/paralysis
  • Dissociative motor disorders

Excludes 2

Official
  • malingering [conscious simulation] (Z76.5)

Related Child Codes

Official
F44.0Dissociative amnesia
F44.1Dissociative fugue
F44.2Dissociative stupor
F44.5Conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions
F44.6Conversion disorder with sensory symptom or deficit

Includes

Official
  • conversion hysteria
  • conversion reaction
  • hysteria
  • hysterical psychosis

Excludes 1

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Excludes 1 notes for F44.4 in this effective period.

Code First

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code First sequencing instructions for F44.4 in this effective period.

Use Additional

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Use Additional Code instructions for F44.4 in this effective period.

Code Also

Official

ICD-10-CM does not list Code Also instructions for F44.4 in this effective period.

Buddy Documentation Tip

HCC Buddy guidance
One or more motor symptoms (weakness, paralysis, tremor, dystonia, abnormal gait, etc.)
Clinical findings providing evidence of incompatibility between the symptom and recognized neurological conditions (positive signs such as Hoover sign, give-way weakness, inconsistent examination)
Symptom or deficit not better explained by another medical or mental disorder
Symptom causes clinically significant distress or functional impairment

MEAT Support

HCC Buddy guidance
One or more motor symptoms (weakness, paralysis, tremor, dystonia, abnormal gait, etc.)
Clinical findings providing evidence of incompatibility between the symptom and recognized neurological conditions (positive signs such as Hoover sign, give-way weakness, inconsistent examination)
Symptom or deficit not better explained by another medical or mental disorder
Symptom causes clinically significant distress or functional impairment

Audit Caution

HCC Buddy guidance
Coding conversion disorder without documented positive signs of functional origin — the diagnosis requires clinical evidence of incompatibility, not just absence of organic findings
Using F44.4 as a diagnosis of exclusion without proper neurological evaluation
Confusing conversion disorder with malingering or factitious disorder — conversion symptoms are involuntary
Not recognizing that conversion disorder and neurological disease can coexist in the same patient

Common Mistakes

HCC Buddy guidance
F44.5 (Conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions) — Use F44.5 for non-epileptic seizures; F44.4 is for motor deficits without seizures
F44.6 (Conversion disorder with sensory symptom or deficit) — Use F44.6 for sensory symptoms; F44.4 is motor-specific
G83.9 (Paralytic syndrome, unspecified) — Organic paralysis; use F44.4 only when neurological workup demonstrates functional origin
G25.0 (Essential tremor) — Organic tremor must be distinguished from functional/conversion tremor

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 F44.4 an HCC code?

F44.4 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
F44.4
Description
Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit
HCC (V28)
No CMS-HCC V28 mapping
RAF
Billable
Yes
Payment year
2026

HCC Category Mapping

RxHCCHCC 133, Personality Disorders, Anxiety, and Other Specified Mental Disorders
0.035

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 F44.4 in the Code Book — tabular path, V28 RAF, and MEAT checklist →

MEAT Criteria for F44.4

For F44.4 to 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 F44.4 during that encounter, not just copy-forwarded from a problem list.

Coder workflow notes

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What This Code Means

F44.4 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit. A condition where psychological stress causes physical weakness, paralysis, or loss of motor control without any neurological disease or injury. F44.4 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).

F44.4 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 F44.4 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 F44.4 sourced directly from the CMS-HCC risk adjustment model files and the CMS ICD-10-CM code set.

Coding Tips

  • Specify the affected body part or limb in documentation
  • Confirm neurological testing has ruled out organic causes before assigning this code

Clinical Significance

Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit (functional neurological symptom disorder) involves neurological symptoms such as weakness, paralysis, abnormal movements, or gait disturbance that are incompatible with recognized neurological conditions. These symptoms are genuine and involuntary, causing significant distress and disability. Accurate diagnosis requires thorough neurological evaluation.

Documentation Requirements

  • One or more motor symptoms (weakness, paralysis, tremor, dystonia, abnormal gait, etc.)
  • Clinical findings providing evidence of incompatibility between the symptom and recognized neurological conditions (positive signs such as Hoover sign, give-way weakness, inconsistent examination)
  • Symptom or deficit not better explained by another medical or mental disorder
  • Symptom causes clinically significant distress or functional impairment
  • Neurological examination findings documented including positive clinical signs of functional origin
  • Results of diagnostic workup (MRI, EMG, EEG) ruling out structural neurological disease
  • Psychological stressor identified if applicable (though not required for diagnosis)

Commonly Confused Codes

  • F44.5 (Conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions): Use F44.5 for non-epileptic seizures; F44.4 is for motor deficits without seizures
  • F44.6 (Conversion disorder with sensory symptom or deficit): Use F44.6 for sensory symptoms; F44.4 is motor-specific
  • G83.9 (Paralytic syndrome, unspecified): Organic paralysis; use F44.4 only when neurological workup demonstrates functional origin
  • G25.0 (Essential tremor): Organic tremor must be distinguished from functional/conversion tremor

Child Codes

Code Hierarchy

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