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S52.31 vs S52.311D

S52.31 (Greenstick fracture of shaft of radius) compared with S52.311D (Greenstick fracture of shaft of radius, right arm, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes represent different levels of the same hierarchy: S52.31 is the non-billable header that contains S52.311D, so only S52.311D (or a sibling) is reported.

Registry fact
What is different?

Title wording and billing status.S52.311D’s title adds “right arm, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing” to the wording the two share (“Greenstick fracture of shaft of radius”). S52.31 is a non-billable header; S52.311D is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Not as a pair.S52.31 is the non-billable header that contains S52.311D. A header is not reported on a claim, so the choice is S52.311D or a sibling that matches the documentation.

Registry fact

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. S52.31 carries 1 Excludes1 note and S52.311D carries 1 Excludes1 note covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. S52.31 carries 6 Excludes2 notes and S52.311D carries 6 Excludes2 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Yes.S52.311D is a subdivision of S52.31 in the tabular hierarchy, so it is the more specific of the two.

Registry fact

Is one a parent or header code?

Yes.S52.31 is the non-billable header that contains S52.311D. A header stands for the whole family beneath it and is not reported on a claim.

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?

Not as a pair — S52.31 is not reportable. S52.31 is the non-billable category that contains S52.311D.

A header stands for the whole family of codes beneath it and is not reported on a claim, so the choice is S52.311D or a sibling that matches the documentation. No Excludes1/Excludes2 relationship exists between these codes in the official tabular list.

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.B.2 — Level of Detail in Coding · applies to: S52.31 and S52.311D

    Diagnosis codes are to be used and reported at their highest number of characters available and to the highest level of specificity documented in the medical record. ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are composed of codes with 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 characters. Codes with three characters are included in ICD-10-CM as the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of fourth and/or fifth characters and/or sixth characters, which provide greater detail. A three-character code is to be used only if it is not further subdivided. A code is invalid if it has not been coded to the full number of characters required for that code, including the 7th character, if applicable.

    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

S52.31Greenstick fracture of shaft of radiusS52.311DGreenstick fracture of shaft of radius, right arm, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: S52.311A, S52.311D, S52.311G, S52.311K, S52.311P

Billable
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)
DefinitionGreenstick fracture of shaft of radius is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S52.31).Greenstick fracture of shaft of radius, right arm, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S52.311D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes in subcategory S52.31The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes in subcategory S52.31
Excludes1
traumatic amputation of forearm (S58.-)
traumatic amputation of forearm (S58.-)
Excludes2
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.

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