Unspecified fracture of 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 3 more specific codes instead:

S72.90 Unspecified fracture of unspecified femur (also a header)
S72.91 Unspecified fracture of right femur (also a header)
S72.92 Unspecified fracture of left femur (also a header)

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

What has happened to this code

Every change the publisher made, from 2012 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.

FY2012 Added to the draft code set draft Unspecified fracture of 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

Codes in the same group

Code	Description	Status
S72.0	Fracture of head and neck of femur	Not billable
S72.1	Pertrochanteric fracture	Not billable
S72.2	Subtrochanteric fracture of femur	Not billable
S72.3	Fracture of shaft of femur	Not billable
S72.4	Fracture of lower end of femur	Not billable
S72.8	Other fracture of femur	Not billable