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S72.3 vs S72.443B

S72.3 (Fracture of shaft of femur) compared with S72.443B (Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type I or II), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because S72.443B lists S72.3 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.S72.3 is “Fracture of shaft of femur”; S72.443B is “Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type I or II”. S72.3 is a non-billable header; S72.443B is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.S72.443B lists S72.3 under Excludes2: “fracture of shaft of femur (S72.3-)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.S72.443B’s tabular entry: “fracture of shaft of femur (S72.3-)”. The note covers S72.3.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

Yes.S72.3’s title names the condition; S72.443B’s title is the unspecified form (“Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type I or II”).

MedCoder-derivedGuide: Other vs unspecified (NEC vs NOS)

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.S72.3 is a non-billable header, but S72.443B is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Nothing found in 3 other checks
Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. S72.3 carries 1 Excludes1 note and S72.443B carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

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

S72.443B
Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type I or II
↔
S72.3
Fracture of shaft of femur

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.S72.443B carries an Excludes2 note covering S72.3: “fracture of shaft of femur (S72.3-)”

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 FY2027

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

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
S72.3

Fracture of shaft of femur

S72.443B

Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type I or II

StatusDiffers
S72.3
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: S72.301A, S72.301B, S72.301C, S72.301D, S72.301E

S72.443B
Billable
Excludes1Differs
Only at S72.3

No note of its own beyond the shared notes

Only at S72.443B
  • Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of lower end of femur (S79.11-)
Shared by both codes (1 note)
  • traumatic amputation of hip and thigh (S78.-)
Excludes2Differs
Only at S72.3

No note of its own beyond the shared notes

Only at S72.443B
  • fracture of shaft of femur (S72.3-)
  • physeal fracture of lower end of femur (S79.1-)
Shared by both codes (7 notes)
  • fracture of lower leg and ankle (S82.-)
  • fracture of foot (S92.-)
  • periprosthetic fracture of prosthetic implant of hip (M97.0-)
  • burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
  • frostbite (T33-T34)
  • snake bite (T63.0-)
  • venomous insect bite or sting (T63.4-)
CategorySame for both

S72 Fracture of femur

ChapterSame for both

S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)

7th characterSame for both
  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S72

No Code first, Use additional code, Code also and Includes note at either code.

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. In a row that differs, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources