S12

Header — not billable

Fracture of cervical vertebra and other parts of neck

The ICD-10 code for fracture of cervical vertebra and other parts of neck is S12.

S12 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 9 more specific codes below.

Clinical notes

Code first

This code represents a manifestation of an underlying disease. Coding convention requires the underlying (etiology) code to be sequenced first, with this code listed second.

any associated cervical spinal cord injury (S14.0, S14.1-)

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 cervical neural arch
fracture of cervical spine
fracture of cervical spinous process
fracture of cervical transverse process
fracture of cervical vertebral arch
fracture of neck

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 all codes from subcategories S12.0-S12.6

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.
•This code represents a manifestation. Documentation should identify the underlying condition, which must be coded first.
•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.

S12