2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z53.1Procedure and treatment not carried out because of patient's decision for reasons of belief and group pressure
Z53.1 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for procedure and treatment not carried out because of patient's decision for reasons of belief and group pressure. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 795, 951. The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor. Coders also document this condition as blood transfusion declined. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Other specified status.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z53.1.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Blood transfusion declined
- Drug declined by patient
- Drug declined by patient - patient beliefs
- Procedure declined for religious reason
- Transfusion of blood product declined for religious reason
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to Z53.1: its own notes plus those printed at block Z40-Z53 and Chapter 21. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
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.
- Z codes represent reasons for encounters. A corresponding procedure code must accompany a Z code if a procedure is performed. Categories Z00-Z99 are provided for occasions when circumstances other than a disease, injury or external cause classifiable to categories A00-Y89 are recorded as 'diagnoses' or 'problems'. This can arise in two main ways:
- (a) When a person who may or may not be sick encounters the health services for some specific purpose, such as to receive limited care or service for a current condition, to donate an organ or tissue, to receive prophylactic vaccination (immunization), or to discuss a problem which is in itself not a disease or injury.
- (b) When some circumstance or problem is present which influences the person's health status but is not in itself a current illness or injury.
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.
Convert Z53.1 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About Z53.1Overview
Is Z53.1 a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report procedure and treatment not carried out because of patient's decision for reasons of belief and group pressure on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does Z53.1 group to?
On inpatient claims, procedure and treatment not carried out because of patient's decision for reasons of belief and group pressure maps to MS-DRG 951, 795, with relative weights from 0.2022 to 0.5574 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can Z53.1 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because procedure and treatment not carried out because of patient's decision for reasons of belief and group pressure describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of Z53.1?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, procedure and treatment not carried out because of patient's decision for reasons of belief and group pressure converts to ICD-9-CM V62.6 (refusal of treatment), V64.06 (no vaccination-pt refuse), and V64.2 (no proc/patient decision). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
