Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end 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 6 more specific codes instead:

S79.149A Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, initial encounter for closed fracture
S79.149D Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing
S79.149G Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing
S79.149K Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion
S79.149P Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, subsequent encounter for fracture with malunion
S79.149S Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end 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 Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end 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 S79 Other and unspecified injuries of hip and thigh

Seventh character required

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategories S79.0 and S79.1

Note

A fracture not indicated as open or closed should be coded to closed

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 > condyles, epicondyles
Fracture, traumatic > femur, femoral > lower end > physeal > Salter-Harris > Type IV

Codes in the same group

Code	Description	Status
S79.141	Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of right femur	Not billable
S79.142	Salter-Harris Type IV physeal fracture of lower end of left femur	Not billable