Skip to main content

S52.18 vs S52.3

S52.18 (Other fracture of upper end of radius) compared with S52.3 (Fracture of shaft of radius), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because S52.18 lists S52.3 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

Title wording.The titles share “of radius”; S52.18 says “Other fracture of upper end” where S52.3 says “Fracture of shaft”.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.S52.18 lists S52.3 under Excludes2: “fracture of shaft of radius (S52.3-)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. S52.18 carries 1 Excludes1 note and S52.3 carries 1 Excludes1 note covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.S52.18’s tabular entry: “fracture of shaft of radius (S52.3-)”. The note covers S52.3.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

No.Neither is a subdivision of the other, and neither title is the unspecified form; they describe different conditions within category S52.

Registry fact

Is one a parent or header code?

Both are headers.Both are non-billable headers, and neither contains the other.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

S52.18
Other fracture of upper end of radius
↔
S52.3
Fracture of shaft of radius

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.S52.18 carries an Excludes2 note covering S52.3: “fracture of shaft of radius (S52.3-)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2026

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

S52.18Other fracture of upper end of radiusS52.3Fracture of shaft of radius
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: S52.181A, S52.181B, S52.181C, S52.181D, S52.181E

Non-billable header

Report instead: S52.301A, S52.301B, S52.301C, S52.301D, S52.301E

ClassificationS00-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)
DefinitionOther fracture of upper end of radius is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S52.18).Fracture of shaft of radius is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S52.3).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S52The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S52
Excludes1
traumatic amputation of forearm (S58.-)
traumatic amputation of forearm (S58.-)
Excludes2
physeal fractures of upper end of radius (S59.2-)
fracture of shaft of radius (S52.3-)
fracture at wrist and hand level (S62.-)
periprosthetic fracture around internal prosthetic elbow joint (M97.4)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
frostbite (T33-T34)
injuries of wrist and hand (S60-S69)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
fracture at wrist and hand level (S62.-)
periprosthetic fracture around internal prosthetic elbow joint (M97.4)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
frostbite (T33-T34)
injuries of wrist and hand (S60-S69)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources