Skip to main content

S99.212B vs S99.219B

S99.212B (Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of left toe, initial encounter for open fracture) compared with S99.219B (Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of unspecified toe, initial encounter for open fracture), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes name the same condition on opposite sides of the body, so the documented side decides which one applies.

MedCoder-derived
What is different?

Title wording.The titles differ in one word, “left” (S99.212B) versus “unspecified” (S99.219B): S99.212B is “Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of left toe, initial encounter for open fracture”; S99.219B is “Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of unspecified toe, initial encounter for open fracture”.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

One side per condition.S99.212B and S99.219B 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.

MedCoder-derivedGuide: Laterality coding

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes2 note that names the other code. S99.212B carries 4 Excludes2 notes and S99.219B carries 4 Excludes2 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Yes.S99.212B’s title names the condition; S99.219B’s title is the unspecified form (“Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of unspecified toe, initial encounter for open fracture”).

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

Is one a parent or header code?

No.Both are billable codes, and neither contains the other.

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?

Yes.Same condition, opposite side. S99.212B and S99.219B name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.

MedCoder-derivedGuide: Laterality coding

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.

Can these codes be reported together?

Review

Laterality relationship

S99.212B
Left
Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of left toe, initial encounter for open fracture
↔
S99.219B
Unspecified
Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of unspecified toe, initial encounter for open fracture

What we found

Same condition, opposite side.S99.212B and S99.219B 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.

What to review

Report the side the documentation names. Where the code set provides a bilateral code and both sides are documented, use it instead of the pair.

Guide: Laterality codingCheck these on a claim

Why it matters

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 / rule

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

Side by side

S99.212BSalter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of left toe, initial encounter for open fractureS99.219BSalter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of unspecified toe, 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)
DefinitionSalter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of left toe, initial encounter for open fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S99.212B).Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of phalanx of unspecified toe, initial encounter for open fracture is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S99.219B).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategories S99.2The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategories S99.2
Excludes2
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
fracture of ankle and malleolus (S82.-)
frostbite (T33-T34)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
fracture of ankle and malleolus (S82.-)
frostbite (T33-T34)
insect bite or sting, venomous (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.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

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