S22

Header — not billable

Fracture of rib(s), sternum and thoracic spine

The ICD-10 code for fracture of rib(s), sternum and thoracic spine is S22.

S22 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 6 more specific codes below.

Clinical notes

Code also

Two codes may be needed to fully describe a condition, but unlike Code First/Use Additional Code, the sequencing order is not mandated by convention.

, if applicable, any associated condition such as:
injury of intrathoracic organ (S27.-)
spinal cord injury (S24.0-, S24.1-)
traumatic hemopneumothorax (S27.2)
traumatic hemothorax (S27.1-)
traumatic pneumothorax (S27.0)

Excludes1 (not coded here)

An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).

transection of thorax (S28.1)

Excludes2 (not included here)

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of this one, but a patient can have both at the same time — in that case both codes may be reported together.

fracture of clavicle (S42.0-)
fracture of scapula (S42.1-)

Includes

Terms listed here further define or give examples of the conditions grouped under this code — they describe what the code covers, not a separate diagnosis.

fracture of thoracic neural arch
fracture of thoracic spinous process
fracture of thoracic transverse process
fracture of thoracic vertebra
fracture of thoracic vertebral arch

7th character definitions

These definitions specify what each valid 7th-character value means for codes in this category.

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7th character note

This category requires a 7th character to indicate additional clinical detail (e.g. encounter type: initial, subsequent, sequela). The code is incomplete without it.

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S22

Documentation support

General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.

•This is a non-billable header code. Documentation must support a more specific child code before this diagnosis can be reported on a claim.
•Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
•This category requires a 7th character. Documentation should clearly indicate the episode of care (initial encounter, subsequent encounter, or sequela).
•As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.

S22