Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur

Not billableICD-10-CM diagnosis code.

This code exists but cannot be submitted on its own. It groups the more specific codes beneath it.

A category header for its whole life, FY2016 onwards. It has never been valid for submission on its own.

Submit one of these 16 more specific codes instead:

S72.443A Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for closed fracture
S72.443B Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type I or II
S72.443C Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, initial encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC
S72.443D Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for closed fracture with routine healing
S72.443E Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with routine healing
S72.443F Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with routine healing
S72.443G Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for closed fracture with delayed healing
S72.443H Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with delayed healing
S72.443J Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with delayed healing
S72.443K Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for closed fracture with nonunion
S72.443M Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with nonunion
S72.443N Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with nonunion
S72.443P Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for closed fracture with malunion
S72.443Q Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type I or II with malunion
S72.443R Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with malunion
S72.443S Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur, sequela

This code requires a seventh character. See the rule below.

What has happened to this code

Every change the publisher made, from 2014 to now. Entries marked draft are from the pre-implementation releases: ICD-10 took effect on 1 October 2015, so nothing before FY2016 was ever valid on a claim.

FY2014 Added to the draft code set draft Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur

Official coding rules

Published by CDC for FY2027. A rule attached to a category binds every code beneath it, so the rules inherited from this code's ancestors are shown with the code they come from.

Inherited from S72 Fracture of femur

Seventh character required

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S72

Seventh character values

initial encounter for open fracture NOS

Excludes1 - never coded here

traumatic amputation of hip and thigh (S78.-)

Excludes2 - not included here

fracture of lower leg and ankle (S82.-)
fracture of foot (S92.-)
periprosthetic fracture of prosthetic implant of hip (M97.0-)

Note

A fracture not indicated as displaced or nondisplaced should be coded to displaced
A fracture not indicated as open or closed should be coded to closed
The open fracture designations are based on the Gustilo open fracture classification

Inherited from the S70-S79 section Injuries to the hip and thigh (S70-S79)

Excludes2 - not included here

burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
frostbite (T33-T34)
snake bite (T63.0-)
venomous insect bite or sting (T63.4-)

How CDC's index refers to this code

Wording from the official alphabetic index. Much of it appears nowhere in the code description, which is why a search for the everyday phrase so often finds nothing.

Fracture, traumatic > femur, femoral > distal end
Fracture, traumatic > femur, femoral > epiphysis > lower
Fracture, traumatic > femur, femoral > condyles, epicondyles
Fracture, traumatic > femur, femoral > lower end > epiphysis
Fracture, traumatic > femur, femoral > lower end > epiphysis > nondisplaced

Codes in the same group

Code	Description	Status
S72.441	Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of right femur	Not billable
S72.442	Displaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of left femur	Not billable
S72.444	Nondisplaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of right femur	Not billable
S72.445	Nondisplaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of left femur	Not billable
S72.446	Nondisplaced fracture of lower epiphysis (separation) of unspecified femur	Not billable