ICD-10 Code S82.132K: Displaced fracture of medial condyle, left tibia

Key takeaways

S82.132K is the billable ICD-10-CM code for a displaced, closed fracture of the left medial tibial condyle that has failed to unite.

Character K applies only after active treatment has ended and the provider has documented that healing stopped.

The common error is selecting K when the fracture is still healing at follow-up. Use D for routine subsequent encounters and G for delayed healing.

S82.132K is exempt from present on admission reporting, so an inpatient claim carries no POA indicator for it.

Pabau supports ICD-10 diagnosis code entry and electronic claim submission, which reduces coding errors on complex fracture encounters.

ICD-10 Code S82.132K is a billable ICD-10-CM code for a displaced fracture of the medial condyle of the left tibia. The 7th character K narrows it to one situation. The encounter is a follow-up, the fracture is closed, and the provider has documented nonunion.

Coders reach for it when a left tibial plateau fracture has stopped healing rather than healing slowly. This reference covers the code definition, the 7th character rules, the S82.132 code family, and the clinical scenarios where S82.132K applies. A strong medical billing workflow starts with precise diagnosis coding.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) co-maintain the ICD-10-CM code set. S82.132K became effective October 1, 2025 under the FY2026 release and remains valid for the current coding year.

ICD-10 Code S82.132K: Definition and billable status

ICD-10 Code S82.132K is a specific, billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code. Its full official long description is: Displaced fracture of medial condyle of left tibia, subsequent encounter for closed fracture with nonunion.

S82.132K already encodes five clinical elements. They are left laterality, displacement, a closed fracture, a subsequent encounter, and nonunion. No additional code is needed to capture any of them, and the code stands alone as a diagnosis on a HIPAA-covered claim. Submit it via your claims management software alongside the CPT procedure code for the encounter.

Clinical meaning: Displaced fracture of the medial condyle of the left tibia

Each word in the ICD-10 Code S82.132K description carries coding weight. Understanding the anatomy and clinical terms prevents the most common documentation mismatches.

• Medial condyle of the tibia: The medial condyle is the inner articular prominence at the proximal end of the tibia. It forms the medial compartment of the knee joint. Fractures here affect the medial tibial plateau and can compromise knee stability.
• Displaced fracture: The bone fragments have moved out of normal anatomical alignment. In a non-displaced fracture they stay in position. ICD-10-CM encodes the difference directly: S82.132_ is displaced, S82.133_ is non-displaced. Documentation must specify which.
• Left tibia: Laterality is encoded in the 5th character of S82.13_, where 1 is right, 2 is left, and 9 is unspecified. S82.132K is left-sided only. Confirm laterality from the operative or imaging report before submitting.
• Closed fracture: The skin over the fracture site is intact, so the fracture does not communicate with the external environment. Character K applies to closed fractures with nonunion. Open fractures with nonunion take M, N, P, Q, or R instead.
• Nonunion: The fracture has failed to achieve bony union within the expected healing timeframe. Orthopedic literature generally puts that at 6 to 9 months with no radiographic sign of progressive healing. Section I.C.19 of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines requires the treating provider to document nonunion. Coders cannot infer it from imaging alone.

Practices managing orthopedic follow-up workflows can use physical therapy documentation software to track healing progress notes across encounters. That record is what supports an accurate encounter type at each visit.

Understanding the 7th character K in ICD-10-CM fracture codes

The 7th character is the most consequential element of S82.132K for coders. It specifies both the encounter type and the healing status. The full 7th character set for S82.132_ closed fractures is shown below.

Character K applies only when all three of these conditions hold:

• The encounter is a subsequent visit, so active treatment has concluded.
• The fracture is closed.
• The provider has explicitly documented nonunion.

Confusing K with G is one of the most common errors on tibia fracture claims. Delayed healing (G) means the fracture is still progressing toward union, even if slowly. Nonunion (K) means it has stopped progressing.

That distinction changes the clinical and the billing picture. Understanding ICD-10-CM 7th character coding rules across code families reinforces the same logic.

Laid out across a single patient’s care, the choice is a sequence rather than a menu. The visual below shows where each 7th character lands.

S82.132K code hierarchy and classification

S82.132K sits within a defined hierarchy in the ICD-10-CM tabular list. Knowing the full parent chain helps coders navigate to the correct code. It also helps them use the ICD-10 diagnostic code hierarchy correctly when referencing related injury chapters.

Never bill S82.132 (without the 7th character) or any of its parent codes. CMS claims systems require the most specific code available. An unspecified or truncated code at the S82.132 level will reject on submission.

Related ICD-10 codes: The S82.132 code family

The S82.132 family covers every encounter type and healing status for a displaced fracture of the left medial tibial condyle. Coders also need the sibling laterality codes for right-sided and unspecified presentations. Understanding laterality coding in ICD-10-CM helps avoid the common error of picking the wrong side.

S82.132 7th character variants (left tibia, displaced, closed)

Laterality sibling codes for nonunion encounters

S82.139K (unspecified laterality) belongs on a claim only when the operative or imaging report does not say which side was fractured. Most encounters document laterality. Using the unspecified code when a specific one exists can prompt a payer query.

Approximate synonyms and alternate diagnostic terms

Clinical documentation does not always use the exact ICD-10-CM descriptor language. The terms below appear in operative notes, discharge summaries, and radiology reports. Each maps to ICD-10 Code S82.132K once the encounter and healing-status criteria are met.

• Closed nonunion of displaced left medial tibial condyle fracture
• Left medial tibial plateau fracture with nonunion, subsequent visit
• Failed union of left tibia medial condyle fracture
• Left proximal tibia medial condyle fracture, nonunion, follow-up
• Non-healing left tibial medial condyle fracture (closed, displaced)
• Left medial condyle tibial fracture, second encounter, no union achieved

Phrases like “failed union” or “no evidence of healing” can appear at a follow-up for a case previously coded S82.132A or S82.132D.

Query the provider before you select the 7th character, and ask them to confirm nonunion (K) or delayed healing (G). Accurate superbill documentation at the point of service reduces how often those queries are needed.

ICD-10 coding guidelines for S82.132K

Per the CMS ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19 governs traumatic fracture coding. The key rules for S82.132K are below.

Documentation requirements for nonunion

Coders cannot assign K from imaging findings alone. The attending provider has to document nonunion in a clinical note, operative report, or progress note. Phrasing that supports the assignment includes:

• “Fracture nonunion confirmed”
• “No bony union at 8 months”
• “Persistent nonunion requiring surgical intervention”

A radiology report describing “no callus formation” or “fracture line still visible” is supportive. On its own, without a provider-level interpretation, it is not enough.

K vs G: The key distinction

Delayed healing (G) and nonunion (K) are not interchangeable. Use G when the provider documents that healing is progressing but slower than typical. Use K when healing has ceased or the provider has formally diagnosed nonunion.

Query the provider whenever the documentation is ambiguous, because selecting K without explicit nonunion wording risks a medical necessity denial. Good fracture claim denial management starts with precise 7th character selection at the coding stage.

Sequencing rules

S82.132K is typically the principal diagnosis when the nonunion is the reason for the encounter. If the patient presents for surgical repair, sequence S82.132K first and pair it with the CPT code for the procedure. That is usually open reduction and internal fixation or bone grafting.

Where the encounter treats a complication secondary to the nonunion, such as knee joint instability, the complication code may be sequenced first. Practices that see high volumes of orthopedic follow-up patients benefit from sports medicine practice management tools that track multi-encounter diagnostic journeys.

When is S82.132K used? Four clinical scenarios

S82.132K is used at any follow-up encounter where the provider has documented that the closed left medial condyle fracture failed to unite. Reference pages tend to stop at the descriptor, so the scenarios below show the documentation trigger and the reasoning behind the code choice.

• Orthopedic surgeon follow-up at 9 months: A patient coded S82.132A at an emergency visit nine months ago returns to the surgeon’s office. X-rays show no bridging callus. The surgeon documents “confirmed nonunion, left medial tibial condyle fracture, considering bone grafting.” Code S82.132K. The 7th character moves from the D or G used at earlier follow-ups.
• Pre-surgical evaluation for nonunion repair: A patient attends a pre-operative consultation for planned bone grafting of a persistent left tibia medial condyle fracture. The assessment documents nonunion. Code S82.132K as the primary diagnosis with the pre-op evaluation CPT code. Verify insurance eligibility verification and pre-authorization before the procedure date.
• Physical therapy re-evaluation: A physical therapist notes that the referring orthopedist has confirmed the left tibia fracture as a nonunion. Therapists do not diagnose nonunion themselves, but they may carry a K-coded diagnosis based on the physician’s documentation. Code S82.132K with the appropriate PT procedure codes.
• Transition from delayed healing to nonunion: A patient whose prior visits were coded S82.132G returns at month 8. The physician documents a formal nonunion diagnosis. The 7th character changes from G to K at this encounter. Update the code at the visit where the wording shifts from “delayed” to “nonunion.”

Present on admission (POA) reporting for S82.132K

S82.132K sits on the ICD-10-CM present on admission exempt list, so an inpatient claim carries no POA indicator for it. That holds even when the nonunion repair is the reason for admission. The exempt list is republished with the code set each fiscal year, so confirm the current edition before you build a coding policy around it.

The other diagnoses on that same inpatient claim still need an indicator. CMS requires POA reporting to separate conditions that existed at admission from those that developed during the stay.

POA reporting is a Medicare and Medicaid inpatient requirement, so outpatient orthopedic visits never carry an indicator at all. Practices that admit patients for nonunion repair should still confirm the wider compliance documentation for physical therapy and orthopedic settings.

How Pabau keeps 7th character changes consistent across encounters

A nonunion diagnosis never shows up at the first visit. It emerges across months of follow-up. The 7th character moves from A to D or G, and finally to K once the provider records nonunion. Where those encounters sit in separate notes and a billing spreadsheet, the coder rebuilds that history by hand at every visit.

Practice management software like Pabau keeps the sequence in one client record. The orthopedic progress note, the imaging date, and the code submitted last time all sit against the same patient. A coder can see the visit where the documentation shifted from delayed healing to nonunion.

Claims then leave from the same record. Pabau’s electronic claims via Claim.MD integration submits ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes, including complex injury codes like S82.132K, to thousands of US payers.

Built-in validation flags incomplete or mismatched code sets before the claim leaves the practice, which is where a wrong 7th character is cheapest to catch.

Simplify your orthopedic and injury claim workflows

Pabau puts ICD-10 diagnosis code entry inside the billing workflow, so complex fracture encounters like nonunion reach the payer with the right 7th character. See how Pabau tracks a diagnosis from initial injury through every follow-up.

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Conclusion

Nonunion coding errors on tibia fracture claims are almost always 7th character errors. Four conditions have to align before K is correct. The fracture is closed and displaced, it is in the left tibia’s medial condyle, the encounter is subsequent, and the provider has written down nonunion. Change any one of those and a different code applies.

The practical safeguard is the documentation trail rather than the code lookup. If the note that turns G into K is easy to find at the next visit, the claim holds up under review. If it is not, no amount of care at the coding stage will rescue it.

Pabau’s claims management software keeps that trail against the patient record. Book a demo to see how Pabau handles multi-encounter fracture billing from the initial injury onward.

Continue your research

Need to understand how claims clear before reaching the payer? Medical claims clearinghouse guide explains how clearinghouses validate ICD-10 codes and flag claim errors before submission.

Want to reduce ICD-10 claim rejections across your practice? Clean claim requirements for ICD-10 billing covers the documentation and coding standards that prevent rejections on injury-related diagnoses.

Looking for guidance on electronic remittance and ERA processing? Electronic remittance advice (ERA) in medical billing covers how payer responses to fracture claims are structured and how to read denial reason codes.

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