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S52.356A vs S52.356H

S52.356A (Nondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, initial encounter for closed fracture) compared with S52.356H (Nondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with delayed healing), from the official CMS tabular data. S52.356A and S52.356H code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.

Relationship

Review

Encounter relationship

S52.356A
Initial encounter
Nondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, initial encounter for closed fracture
S52.356H
Subsequent encounter
Nondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with delayed healing

Same underlying diagnosis, different encounter phase.

The 7th character records the phase of care for the encounter being coded, so a single encounter takes one of these characters, not several. Review whether both phases belong on the same episode of care.

Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a

Can these codes be reported together?

Same injury, other encounter phase. S52.356A and S52.356H code the same injury at a different phase of treatment, set by the 7th character.

The 7th character records the type of care given at the encounter being coded (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a), so one encounter takes one of these, not both.

Side by side

S52.356ANondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, initial encounter for closed fractureS52.356HNondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with delayed healing
Billing statusBillableBillable
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)
DefinitionNondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, initial encounter for closed fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S52.356A).Nondisplaced comminuted fracture of shaft of radius, unspecified arm, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with delayed healing is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S52.356H).
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

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources