A type II Salter-Harris fracture is the most common pediatric physeal fracture, occurring frequently in children over 10 years of age. This fracture breaks at an angle, cutting through most of the growth plate and the metaphysis, the area above the growth plate.
Coding Clinic said that only one code is necessary to identify a single physeal fracture and that coders should assign code S99.
ICD-10 code S52. 5 for Fracture of lower end of radius is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes .
Unspecified fracture of shaft of left radius, initial encounter for closed fracture. S52. 302A is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM S52.
It is a combination of a horizontal fracture line through the physis and a vertical fracture line which runs from the growth plate through the epiphysis to the articular surface. Displaced injuries may result in a physeal bar, leading to growth disturbance and joint incongruity, leading to arthritis.
The Salter-Harris classification system is a method used to grade fractures that occur in children and involve the growth plate, which is also known as the physis or physial plate. The classification system grades fractures according to the involvement of the physis, metaphysis, and epiphysis.
The radius is one of two forearm bones and is located on the thumb side. The part of the radius connected to the wrist joint is called the distal radius. When the radius breaks near the wrist, it is called a distal radius fracture. The break usually happens due to falling on an outstretched or flexed hand.
In ICD-10-CM a fracture not indicated as displaced or nondisplaced should be coded to displaced, and a fracture not designated as open or closed should be coded to closed. While the classification defaults to displaced for fractures, it is very important that complete documentation is encouraged.
Table: CodeICD10 Code (*)Code Description (*)S52.50Fracture of lower end of radius, closedS52.51Fracture of lower end of radius, openS52.6Fracture of lower end of both ulna and radiusS52.60Fracture of lower end of both ulna and radius, closed26 more rows
ICD-10-CM Code for Unspecified fracture of the lower end of right radius, initial encounter for closed fracture S52. 501A.
Patients were identified by an electronic procedural code search for distal radius ORIF (CPT 25607, 25608, and 25609).
Displaced Fracture: bone breaks into two or more pieces and moves out of alignment. Non-Displaced Fracture: the bone breaks but does not move out of alignment. Closed Fracture: the skin is not broken.
Salter-Harris Type II physeal fracture of lower end of ulna 1 S00-T88#N#2021 ICD-10-CM Range S00-T88#N#Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes#N#Note#N#Use secondary code (s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code#N#Type 1 Excludes#N#birth trauma ( P10-P15)#N#obstetric trauma ( O70 - O71)#N#Use Additional#N#code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable ( Z18.-)#N#Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 2 S50-S59#N#2021 ICD-10-CM Range S50-S59#N#Injuries to the elbow and forearm#N#Type 2 Excludes#N#burns and corrosions ( T20 - T32)#N#frostbite ( T33-T34)#N#injuries of wrist and hand ( S60-S69)#N#insect bite or sting, venomous ( T63.4)#N#Injuries to the elbow and forearm 3 S59#N#ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code S59#N#Other and unspecified injuries of elbow and forearm#N#2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Non-Billable/Non-Specific Code#N#Type 2 Excludes#N#other and unspecified injuries of wrist and hand ( S69.-)#N#Other and unspecified injuries of elbow and forearm
Use secondary code (s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code.
Salter-Harris Type II physeal fracture of lower end of unspecified femur, initial encounter for closed fracture 1 S79.129A is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. 2 Short description: Sltr-haris Type II physeal fx lower end of unsp femur, init 3 The 2021 edition of ICD-10-CM S79.129A became effective on October 1, 2020. 4 This is the American ICD-10-CM version of S79.129A - other international versions of ICD-10 S79.129A may differ.
Use secondary code (s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code. Type 1 Excludes.
So a physeal fracture of the distal femur would be reported as 821.22 for a closed fracture or 821.32 for an open fracture. It should be noted that these codes are not specific to Salter-Harris fractures. These codes are used for any fracture or separation of the epiphysis in the lower end of the femur. These codes are reported both for adults (who have closed growth plates) and children and adolescents (who have open growth plates) even though the potential for complications, including arrested bone growth, is much greater for children and adolescents.
When a physeal fracture occurs, the cartilaginous tissue of the growth plate becomes disrupted or separated, and when this occurs, bone growth may be affected. In the United States, physeal fractures are classified by severity using a system developed in 1963 by Robert Salter and W. Robert Harris; the system is known as ...
Epiphysis: Each long bone has two epiphyses, one located at the proximal end and one at the distal end. The epiphyses are composed of spongy bone that contains bone marrow. Physis: The physis also is referred to as the growth plate, epiphyseal plate or epiphyseal cartilage.
However, these codes should be used rarely as documentation ; in most instances, identification of the Salter-Harris classification will be possible, as well as the side affected. If the documentation does not include this information, the physician should be queried so that the most specific code can be assigned.