Excludes1 pair

F44.4 vs G24.3

F44.4 and G24.3 are not coded together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note — the two conditions are not expected to occur together, so exactly one of them is normally correct for a given encounter. The Official Guidelines carve out one exception: if the two conditions are clearly unrelated to each other, both may be reported.

The official note, declared on G24.3
hysterical torticollis (F44.4)
F44.4

Conversion disorder with motor symptom or deficit

Billable
Chapter 5
Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders
Section
F40-F48
Use when the record says
  • Conversion disorder with abnormal movement
  • Conversion disorder with speech symptoms
  • Conversion disorder with swallowing symptoms
  • Conversion disorder with weakness/paralysis
  • Dissociative motor disorders
  • Psychogenic aphonia
  • Psychogenic dysphonia
Indexed under
  • Abasia (-astasia) (hysterical)
  • Astasia (-abasia) (hysterical)
  • Bergeron's disease (hysterical chorea)
  • Blocq's disease
  • Camptocormia (hysterical)
G24.3

Spasmodic torticollis

Billable
Chapter 6
Diseases of the nervous system
Section
G20-G26
Indexed under
  • Dystonia › cervical
  • Torticollis › spasmodic

These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.

Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027