2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R29.810Facial weakness
ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R25-R29›R29
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not Chronic
R29.810 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for facial weakness. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 91 through 93. As a symptom code, it should not be used as a principal diagnosis once a related definitive diagnosis has been established. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Nervous system signs and symptoms.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Bilateral facial muscle weakness
- Facial weakness, lower motor neurone
- Facial weakness, upper motor neurone
- Lower facial weakness
- Upper facial weakness
- Weak eye closure
- Weakness of face muscles
- Weakness of left facial muscle
- Weakness of masseter muscle
- Weakness of occipitofrontalis muscle
- Weakness of orbicularis oculi muscle
- Weakness of right facial muscle
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to R29.810: its own notes plus those printed at Chapter 18. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Applicable To
Conditions this code is used for: synonyms of the title or, for "other specified" codes, the conditions assigned to it. The list is not exhaustive.
- Facial droop
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
- Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
- The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
- (a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
- (b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
- (c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
- (d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
- (e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
- (f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Facial Injuries and Disorders
Face injuries and disorders can cause pain and affect how you look. In severe cases, they can affect sight, speech, breathing and your ability to swallow. Fractures (broken bones), especially in the bones of your nose, cheekbone and jaw, are common facial injuries.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert R29.810 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About R29.810Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for facial weakness?
The ICD-10-CM code for facial weakness is R29.810 (sometimes written as R29810). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is R29.810 (Other symptoms and signs involving the nervous system) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report facial weakness on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does R29.810 group to?
When facial weakness is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 91, 92, 93, with relative weights from 0.7783 to 1.7050 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can R29.810 be a principal diagnosis?
Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the facial weakness is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.
Can R29.810 be reported with G51.0?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note on R29.810 lists "Bell's palsy (G51.0)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
