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S62.523A vs S62.523B

S62.523A (Displaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for closed fracture) compared with S62.523B (Displaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for open fracture), from the official CMS tabular data. S62.523A and S62.523B code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.

Relationship

Review

Encounter relationship

S62.523A
Initial encounter
Displaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for closed fracture
↔
S62.523B
Initial encounter
Displaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for open fracture

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. S62.523A and S62.523B 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

S62.523ADisplaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for closed fractureS62.523BDisplaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for open fracture
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)
DefinitionDisplaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for closed fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S62.523A).Displaced fracture of distal phalanx of unspecified thumb, initial encounter for open fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S62.523B).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S62The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S62
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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources