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S72.021R vs S72.022R

S72.021R (Displaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion) compared with S72.022R (Displaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of left femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion), from the official CMS tabular data. S72.021R and S72.022R code the same condition on opposite sides. MedCoder-derived

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S72.021R
Right
Displaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion
S72.022R
Left
Displaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of left femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion

Same condition; these differ only in which side is documented.

These codes share a category and title and differ only in the side affected. The documentation decides which applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Source: ICD-10-CM tabular list (laterality variant derived from the code title)

Can these codes be reported together?

Same condition, opposite side. S72.021R and S72.022R name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.

Same category and title, differing only in which side is affected — the documentation decides which one applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.

Side by side

S72.021RDisplaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunionS72.022RDisplaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of left femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesS00-T88 — Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
DefinitionDisplaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S72.021R).Displaced fracture of epiphysis (separation) (upper) of left femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S72.022R).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S72The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S72

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