S22.43XS vs S22.5
S22.43XS (Multiple fractures of ribs, bilateral, sequela) compared with S22.5 (Flail chest), 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. S22.43XS carries an Excludes1 note covering S22.5: “flail chest (S22.5-)”
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
| S22.43XSMultiple fractures of ribs, bilateral, sequela | S22.5Flail chest | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Non-billable header Report instead: S22.5XXA, S22.5XXB, S22.5XXD, S22.5XXG, S22.5XXK |
| Classification | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) |
| Definition | Multiple fractures of ribs, bilateral, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S22.43S). | Flail chest is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S22.5). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S22 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S22 |
| Includes | fracture of thoracic neural arch fracture of thoracic spinous process fracture of thoracic transverse process fracture of thoracic vertebra | fracture of thoracic neural arch fracture of thoracic spinous process fracture of thoracic transverse process fracture of thoracic vertebra |
| Code first | , if applicable, spinal cord injury (S24.0-, S24.1-) | , if applicable, spinal cord injury (S24.0-, S24.1-) |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources