S22.5 vs S28.0
S22.5 (Flail chest) compared with S28.0 (Crushed 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. S28.0 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
| S22.5Flail chest | S28.0Crushed chest | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: S22.5XXA, S22.5XXB, S22.5XXD, S22.5XXG, S22.5XXK | Non-billable header |
| 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 | Flail chest is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S22.5). | Crushed chest is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S28.0). |
| 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 S28 |
| Includes | fracture of thoracic neural arch fracture of thoracic spinous process fracture of thoracic transverse process fracture of thoracic vertebra | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area |
| Use additional code | — | code for all associated injuries |
| Code first | , 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