F43.0 vs R53.8
F43.0 (Acute stress reaction) compared with R53.8 (Other malaise and fatigue), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.
Can these codes be reported together?
No — do not report together. R53.8 carries an Excludes1 note covering F43.0: “combat exhaustion and fatigue (F43.0)”
Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
Side by side
| F43.0Acute stress reaction | R53.8Other malaise and fatigue | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Non-billable header |
| Classification | F01-F99 — Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (F01-F99) | R00-R99 — Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory Findings, Not Elsewhere Classified (R00-R99) |
| Definition | Acute stress reaction is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (F43.0). | Other malaise and fatigue is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (R53.8). |
| Includes | Acute crisis reaction Acute reaction to stress Combat and operational stress reaction Combat fatigue | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources