2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R44.9Unspecified symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions
ICD-10-CM Codes›R00–R99›R40-R46›R44
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not Chronic
R44.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 951. 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 General sensation/perception signs and symptoms.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Abnormal perception
- Abnormal sensation
- Hearing change
- Hearing improved
- Hearing symptoms
- Hearing unchanged
- Limited sensory perception
- Patient condition unchanged
- Perception AND/OR perception disturbance
- Sensation
- Sensory distortion
- Sensory symptoms
- Simulation of physical illness
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to R44.9: its own notes plus those printed at R44, block R40-R46, and Chapter 18. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
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.
- disturbances of skin sensation (R20.-)
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
Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality. Two of the main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are false beliefs, such as thinking that someone is plotting against you or that the TV is sending you secret messages.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert R44.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About R44.9Overview
Is R44.9 a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report unspecified symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does R44.9 group to?
When unspecified symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 951 (other Factors Influencing Health Status), which carries a relative weight of 0.5574. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can R44.9 be a principal diagnosis?
Use it with care. This is a symptom code, so once a definitive diagnosis explaining the unspecified symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions is established, that condition takes the principal position instead.
Can R44.9 be reported with F10.151?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at R44, which applies to R44.9, lists "alcoholic hallucinations (F10.151, F10.251, F10.951)". 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).
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of R44.9?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, unspecified symptoms and signs involving general sensations and perceptions converts to ICD-9-CM 799.89 (ill-define condition NEC). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
