S72.44 vs S72.441A
S72.44 (Fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of femur) compared with S72.441A (Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of right femur, initial encounter for closed fracture), from the official CMS tabular data.
Summary
These codes represent different levels of the same hierarchy: S72.44 is the non-billable header that contains S72.441A, so only S72.441A (or a sibling) is reported.
Registry fact- What is different?
The conditions named and billing status.S72.44 is “Fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of femur”; S72.441A is “Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of right femur, initial encounter for closed fracture”. S72.44 is a non-billable header; S72.441A is billable.
Registry fact
- Can these codes be reported together?
Not as a pair.S72.44 is the non-billable header that contains S72.441A. A header is not reported on a claim, so the choice is S72.441A or a sibling that matches the documentation.
Registry fact
- Is there an Excludes1 relationship?
None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. S72.44 carries 2 Excludes1 notes and S72.441A carries 2 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.
Official rule
- Is there an Excludes2 relationship?
None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. S72.44 carries 9 Excludes2 notes and S72.441A carries 9 Excludes2 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.
Official rule
- Is one more specific?
Yes.S72.441A is a subdivision of S72.44 in the tabular hierarchy, so it is the more specific of the two.
Registry fact
- Is one a parent or header code?
Yes.S72.44 is the non-billable header that contains S72.441A. A header stands for the whole family beneath it and is not reported on a claim.
Registry fact
- 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?
Not as a pair — S72.44 is not reportable. S72.44 is the non-billable category that contains S72.441A.
A header stands for the whole family of codes beneath it and is not reported on a claim, so the choice is S72.441A or a sibling that matches the documentation. No Excludes1/Excludes2 relationship exists between these codes in the official tabular list.
Official guidance behind these answers
Section I.B.2 — Level of Detail in Coding · applies to: S72.44 and S72.441A
Diagnosis codes are to be used and reported at their highest number of characters available and to the highest level of specificity documented in the medical record. ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are composed of codes with 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 characters. Codes with three characters are included in ICD-10-CM as the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of fourth and/or fifth characters and/or sixth characters, which provide greater detail. A three-character code is to be used only if it is not further subdivided. A code is invalid if it has not been coded to the full number of characters required for that code, including the 7th character, if applicable.
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2026
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
| S72.44Fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of femur | S72.441ADisplaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of right femur, initial encounter for closed fracture | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: S72.441A, S72.441B, S72.441C, S72.441D, S72.441E | Billable |
| Classification | S00-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) |
| Definition | Fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of femur is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S72.44). | Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of right femur, initial encounter for closed fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S72.441A). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S72 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S72 |
| Excludes1 | Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of lower end of femur (S79.11-) traumatic amputation of hip and thigh (S78.-) | Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of lower end of femur (S79.11-) traumatic amputation of hip and thigh (S78.-) |
| Excludes2 | fracture of shaft of femur (S72.3-) physeal fracture of lower end of femur (S79.1-) 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-) | fracture of shaft of femur (S72.3-) physeal fracture of lower end of femur (S79.1-) 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-) |
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.
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources