2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z63.4Disappearance and death of family member
Z63.4 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for disappearance and death of family member. 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 and exempt from POA reporting. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Socioeconomic/psychosocial factors.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z63.4.
Present on Admission (POA)Billing
Z63.4 is exempt from POA reporting on inpatient claims to general acute care hospitals. Review other POA exempt codes.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Acceptance stage of grief
- Adapting to loss following bereavement
- Anger stage of grief
- Bargaining stage of grief
- Bereavement
- Bereavement in remission
- Child of patient deceased
- Chronic sorrow
- Coming to terms with loss
- Conflicting stages of grief
- Conflicting stages of grief among family members
- Death of relative
- Denial stage of grief
- Despair stage of grief
- Details of relatives - finding
- Disappearance of partner
- Disappearance of relative
- Expected bereavement
- Family bereavement
- Family disruption due to death of family member
- Family history of relative killed
- Family member deceased
- Father deceased
- Grieving process stage - finding
- Guided mourning
- Guilt stage of grief
- Husband deceased
- Infant of patient deceased
- Mother deceased
- Murder
- Murder of partner
- Parents deceased
- Partner deceased
- Reflecting stage of grief
- Relative dying
- Sibling deceased
- Spouse deceased
- Sudden bereavement
- Unexpected bereavement
- Wife deceased
Tabular List NotesGuidance
Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.
Inclusion Terms
- Assumed death of family member
- Bereavement
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
- Bereavement (uncomplicated) - Z63.4
- Death (cause unknown) (of) (unexplained) (unspecified cause) - R99
- family member (assumed) - Z63.4
- Disappearance of family member - Z63.4
- due to
- bereavement - Z63.4
- parent in childhood - Z63.4
External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance
References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.
- Bereavement(uncomplicated)
- Death(cause unknown) (of) (unexplained) (unspecified cause)
- family member (assumed)
- Disappearance of family member
- Disruption(of)
- family
- due to
- bereavement
- Disruption(of)
- family
- due to
- death (assumed) or disappearance of family member
- Loss(of)
- parent in childhood
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Bereavement
refers to the whole process of grieving and mourning and is associated with a deep sense of loss and sadness.Hospice Care
specialized health care, supportive in nature, provided to a dying person. a holistic approach is often taken, providing patients and their families with legal, financial, emotional, or spiritual counseling in addition to meeting patients' immediate physical needs. care may be provided in the home, in the hospital, in specialized facilities (hospices), or in specially designated areas of long-term care facilities. the concept also includes bereavement care for the family. (from dictionary of health services management, 2d ed)Hospices
facilities or services which are especially devoted to providing palliative and supportive care to the patient with a terminal illness and to the patient's family.
Patient EducationClinical
Bereavement
Bereavement is the period of grief and mourning after a death. When you grieve, it's part of the normal process of reacting to a loss. You may experience grief as a mental, physical, social or emotional reaction. Mental reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness and despair.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert Z63.4 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About Z63.4Overview
Is Z63.4 a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report disappearance and death of family member on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Can Z63.4 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because disappearance and death of family member describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
Is Z63.4 exempt from POA reporting?
Yes. CMS lists this code among those exempt from present on admission reporting, so hospitals do not assign a POA indicator for disappearance and death of family member on inpatient claims.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of Z63.4?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, disappearance and death of family member converts to ICD-9-CM V61.07 (family dsrpt-death membr), V61.8 (family circumstances NEC), and V62.82 (bereavement, uncomplicat). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
