Dementia ICD-10 Coding Guide

Also known as

  • Major neurocognitive disorder
  • Unspecified dementia

Abbreviations

  • NCD

The ICD-10-CM code for unspecified dementia is F03.90 (Unspecified dementia, unspecified severity, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxiety), a billable code reported when dementia is documented without a specified type or associated disturbances.

Primary codes

Billable

Billable

Extension

7th character

POA exempt

No

Inclusion terms

  • Dementia NOS

Coding risks

  • Assigning when documentation supports a more specific code

Code comparison

Compare key differences between related codes to select the most specific option.

CodeDescriptionScenario
F03.90Unspecified dementia, unspecified severity, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxietyDementia documented without specified severity or any behavioral, psychotic, mood, or anxiety disturbance.
F03.A0Unspecified dementia, mild, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxietyUnspecified dementia documented as mild severity, with no behavioral, psychotic, mood, or anxiety disturbances noted.
F03.B0Unspecified dementia, moderate, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxietyDementia documented as moderate severity with no behavioral, psychotic, mood, or anxiety symptoms noted.
F03.C0Unspecified dementia, severe, without behavioral disturbance, psychotic disturbance, mood disturbance, and anxietyDementia documented as severe with no behavioral, psychotic, mood, or anxiety symptoms noted.
F03.911Unspecified dementia, unspecified severity, with agitationDementia with documented agitation, severity not specified in the chart.
F03.918Unspecified dementia, unspecified severity, with other behavioral disturbanceDementia with behavioral disturbance other than agitation documented, severity not specified.

Select the most specific code supported by the encounter documentation. More specific codes improve reimbursement accuracy and reduce audit risk.

Code ranges

Coding risks

Avoid these common coding issues when reporting Dementia.

Impact

Assigning F03.90 without stated etiology may miscode when Alzheimer's (G30) or vascular dementia (F01) is actually supported.

Mitigation

Consider querying the provider when etiology is absent rather than defaulting to F03 based on age or clinical presentation alone.

Differential codes

Alternative or commonly confused codes to consider when documentation suggests a different condition than the primary diagnosis.

Frequently asked questions

Use F03.90 only when documentation does not specify an underlying etiology such as Alzheimer's, vascular, or Lewy body disease.

References

Compiled from the following authoritative coding references. Last updated 2026-08-04.

Disclaimer

This page is compiled from authoritative coding references for educational and reference purposes only. It is not medical advice, billing authority, or an official source of ICD-10-CM guidelines. Always verify codes against the current CMS ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, AHIMA guidance, and your organization’s coding policies. ICD-10-CM is updated annually on October 1.