2026 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 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor. Coders also document this condition as administration of blood product 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.
- Administration of blood product declined
- 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
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
- for reasons of belief or group pressure - Z53.1
- treatment (because of) - Z53.20
- reasons of belief or group pressure - Z53.1
External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance
References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.
- Canceled procedure(surgical)
- because of
- patient's decision
- for reasons of belief or group pressure
- Procedure(surgical)
- not done
- because of
- patient's decision
- for reasons of belief or group pressure
- Refusal of
- treatment (because of)
- reasons of belief or group pressure
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, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
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.
