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S72.401R vs S72.409R

S72.401R (Unspecified fracture of lower end of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion) compared with S72.409R (Unspecified fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion), from the official CMS tabular data. S72.401R and S72.409R code the same condition on opposite sides.

Relationship

Review

Laterality relationship

S72.401R
Right
Unspecified fracture of lower end of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion
S72.409R
Unspecified
Unspecified fracture of lower end of unspecified 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. S72.401R and S72.409R 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

S72.401RUnspecified fracture of lower end of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunionS72.409RUnspecified fracture of lower end of unspecified 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 Causes (S00-T88)S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)
DefinitionUnspecified fracture of lower end of right femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S72.401R).Unspecified fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S72.409R).
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