ICD code S62.024G – Nondisplaced right scaphoid fracture with delayed healing

Key takeaways

S62.024G codes a subsequent encounter for a nondisplaced middle-third scaphoid fracture of the right wrist where the provider has documented delayed healing.

The seventh character G is only valid when the treating physician explicitly documents delayed union or delayed healing in the clinical note.

Common denial triggers: G without delayed-healing documentation, the right-wrist code on a left or unstated side, and G and K filed together.

Pabau, our practice management platform, checks each claim for missing or invalid details before sending it to payers through Claim.MD.

ICD-10 Code S62.024G: Definition and code components

ICD-10 Code S62.024G is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code valid for FY2027 encounters (from October 1, 2026). Each character carries a specific clinical meaning. Knowing the breakdown is the fastest way to catch miscoding before a claim leaves the practice.

The full descriptor reads: “Nondisplaced fracture of middle third of navicular [scaphoid] bone of right wrist, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing.”

The code is valid for outpatient visits, office encounters, and rehabilitation settings, as long as the provider note supports the G suffix. Verify the current billable status against the CDC/NCHS ICD-10-CM web tool before submitting any claim.

Anatomy and clinical context: The scaphoid bone

The scaphoid is the most commonly fractured carpal bone, accounting for roughly 70% of all carpal fractures according to the AAPC’s orthopedic coding resources. It sits in the proximal wrist row and bridges two joints.

Its blood supply enters distally, leaving the proximal pole dependent on retrograde perfusion. A fracture at the middle third interrupts this supply and raises the risk of delayed healing and avascular necrosis (AVN).

For coders at sports medicine and orthopedic practices, the anatomy has a direct billing consequence. ICD-10-CM requires specificity on fracture site, displacement, and laterality. S62.024G captures the middle third (5th character 2) and a nondisplaced fracture of the right wrist (6th character 4).

In this subcategory, the 6th character carries displacement and laterality together. Values 1, 2 and 3 are displaced right, left and unspecified; values 4, 5 and 6 are nondisplaced right, left and unspecified.

• Risk factors for delayed healing: Proximal pole fractures, displacement, and delayed diagnosis (often more than four weeks from injury). Patient factors such as smoking or poor vascular status also raise the risk.
• Avascular necrosis: A recognized complication requiring a separate ICD-10-CM code (typically M87 series) when diagnosed. AVN does not alter the S62.024G assignment but must be coded additionally if documented.
• Right wrist, nondisplaced: The sixth character “4” in S62.024G means the provider documented a nondisplaced fracture of the right wrist. A left-wrist fracture takes S62.025G, and a documented displacement moves the code to S62.021G.

Breaking down the ICD-10 seventh character G for fracture coding

The ICD-10 seventh character G means “subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing,” as defined in ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines Section I.C.19.c. The seventh-character set governs every follow-up visit for a traumatic fracture. Picking the wrong character is a top denial driver in orthopedic and physical therapy billing.

The order from D to G to K follows the provider’s findings. G needs a documented turning point, where the provider states that healing is delayed. Per the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, the seventh character follows the provider’s documentation. Time since injury and the coder’s own clinical view do not decide it.

When to use S62.024G: Clinical scenarios

S62.024G fits a narrow clinical picture: a nondisplaced fracture through the waist of the right scaphoid that the provider says is healing too slowly. These scenarios show where the code applies and where it does not.

• Orthopedic follow-up with stalled healing: Months after casting, imaging still shows a fracture line at the right scaphoid waist. The surgeon writes “delayed union” and extends immobilization, so S62.024G applies.
• Bone stimulator start: The provider documents delayed healing of the same fracture and orders bone growth stimulation. S62.024G supports the stimulator claim, subject to the payer’s coverage rules.
• Hand therapy visit: A therapist treats the patient after the orthopedist has documented delayed healing in a recent note. The therapy claim carries S62.024G.
• Not this code: A note that says “healing as expected” takes S62.024D, and documented nonunion takes S62.024K. A left-wrist fracture takes S62.025G.

S62.024G vs related codes: Choosing the right code

S62.024G sits in the S62.02 subcategory, where the sixth character encodes displacement and laterality together. The table maps all six delayed-healing variants, so you can match the code to what the note documents. The seventh character works the same way across all six.

When the provider note documents delayed healing but does not yet use the word “nonunion,” use G, not K. Nonunion has a stricter clinical threshold. It typically means imaging shows a persistent fracture gap without callus over an extended period. The coder cannot upgrade from G to K based on time alone.

Laterality and displacement check: S62.024G already specifies the right wrist and a nondisplaced fracture. Before billing, confirm the note says both. If it names the left wrist, use S62.025G; if it omits the side, use S62.026G. If it states displacement, use S62.021G instead. The decision path below runs the same three checks in order.

Documentation requirements for S62.024G billing and coding

Proper medical billing documentation is the foundation for assigning S62.024G. A coder cannot use this code based on clinical inference alone. The provider note must contain specific elements, and missing any one of them is sufficient grounds for a payer to deny or downcode the claim.

1. Explicit statement of delayed healing or delayed union: The assessment or plan must say so in words. Accepted phrases include “delayed union,” “impaired healing,” “fracture not progressing,” and “delayed healing.” The coder cannot infer delayed healing from imaging findings alone.
2. Confirmation that active treatment was previously completed: The G suffix applies to subsequent (not initial) encounters. The note should show that primary treatment is done, such as casting or open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). The visit now manages the healing complication.
3. Imaging evidence: X-ray, MRI, or CT findings supporting delayed union (absent or minimal callus, persistent fracture line) must be referenced in the record.
4. Laterality: Document the injured side at every visit. S62.024G is a right-wrist code, so a left or unstated side needs S62.025G or S62.026G.
5. Displacement: State “nondisplaced” in the note. Per the official guidelines, a fracture not documented as displaced or nondisplaced is coded as displaced.
6. Current treatment plan: Document ongoing management: Bone stimulator application, extended immobilization, surgical consultation, or physical therapy plan. This establishes medical necessity for the encounter.

CPT code pairings and billing for S62.024G encounters

S62.024G appears on claims for office visits, imaging orders, bone stimulator applications, therapy sessions, and surgical consultations. Submitting the ICD-10 code without the matching CPT code for the service provided is a near-certain denial.

The table below covers the most common pairings. Confirm coverage and local coverage determination (LCD) requirements with your payer before billing, since CPT descriptors and coverage criteria change annually.

Delayed healing often means another round of immobilization. The CPT 29085 guide covers how a replacement gauntlet cast is billed, including its modifiers and supply codes.

Medicare and payer requirements for subsequent fracture encounters

Medicare and commercial payers apply specific coverage criteria to claims using delayed-healing seventh characters. These rules are not uniform and change annually, so treat the guidance below as a framework rather than a definitive coverage determination.

Maintaining payer compliance documentation from the first delayed-healing visit creates an audit trail that supports every subsequent G-suffix claim in the episode. Practices should verify coverage via ResDAC’s ICD coding in Medicare files resource when building payer-specific billing policies.

• Imaging within 90 days: Many Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) want radiographic evidence of delayed healing no older than 90 days at claim time. Ensure the imaging study is ordered, completed, and referenced in the note.
• Bone stimulator LCDs: Medicare covers bone stimulators for fracture delayed healing under applicable local coverage determinations (verify the current LCD number at cms.gov). Prior authorization is commonly required, and the delay duration must meet payer-defined thresholds.
• Commercial payers: Some plans set a minimum period of documented delayed healing before accepting the G suffix. The threshold varies by payer, so confirm it with the plan or your MAC.

Common claim denial reasons for ICD-10 Code S62.024G

Each denial type below maps to a corrective action practices can build into their pre-submission workflow. Effective denial management workflows address these upstream, before the claim reaches the payer.

Reference the full denial code taxonomy via common medical billing denial codes to map payer CARC/RARC codes to these root causes.

Physical therapy and rehabilitation coding with S62.024G

Physical and occupational therapy providers rely heavily on subsequent encounter codes. S62.024G is valid for rehabilitation visits once the treating orthopedist has documented delayed healing in a recent note. Therapists do not assign the G suffix on their own. They rely on updated physician documentation.

For physical therapy teams, the key step is a refreshed physician note. Request one when the G suffix is first used, or when the patient returns after weeks without a visit. That note protects the practice if Medicare audits the therapy claims. Therapeutic exercise is billed in timed units, and the CPT 97110 guide covers how to count them.

• Therapy CPT codes paired with S62.024G: Therapeutic exercise (97110) and therapeutic activities (97530) are common pairings for scaphoid rehabilitation.
• Functional outcome reporting: Medicare expects the therapy plan of care to record functional limitations and measurable goals. The G-suffix encounter does not change that, so update both at each required progress report.
• Transition from G to D: If follow-up imaging shows healing has resumed, the physician should update the documentation and the subsequent visit reverts to S62.024D. The coder follows the provider, not the calendar.
• Transition from G to K: When the physician documents that delayed healing has progressed to established nonunion, switch to S62.024K going forward. Do not backdate the code change.

ICD-10-CM coding guidelines reference for fracture encounter type

Section I.C.19.c of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting governs fracture encounter type assignment. Its core principle is that the treating provider’s documentation decides the seventh character. The coder’s own clinical judgment does not.

1. Determine whether the encounter involves the period of active surgical or procedural treatment (initial encounter, character A) or the aftercare phase (subsequent encounter, character D/G/K/P/S).
2. For subsequent encounters, check the assessment and plan for healing-complication language, such as “delayed healing,” “delayed union,” or “not healing as expected.”
3. Assign G only if delayed healing language is present and supported by clinical findings (imaging, exam). Absent that language, assign D.
4. Assign K (nonunion) or P (malunion) only when the provider explicitly documents those diagnoses. These are distinct clinical findings and cannot be inferred from G alone.
5. When the provider does not state whether the fracture is displaced, code it as displaced (Section I.C.19.c.1). S62.024G requires a documented nondisplaced fracture.
6. External cause codes (W18.xx, W22.xx, or the appropriate activity/place-of-occurrence codes) should accompany the S62.024G code to fully document the mechanism of injury.

The guidelines are published annually. Access the current FY version directly from the CMS ICD-10 coding guidelines page. Coding Clinic advisories from the AHA provide authoritative interpretations when the guidelines are ambiguous on a specific scenario.

How claims management software reduces S62.024G denials

Most S62.024G denials start with a mismatch nobody spotted. A G suffix goes out without delayed-healing language, or a right-wrist code goes out on a left-wrist note. Coders catch these by rereading notes line by line, which slows the billing queue.

Pabau keeps the clinical note, the diagnosis code and the claim in one patient record. The coder checks the suffix against the note without switching systems. Its faster claims management tools scrub each claim for missing or invalid details before it leaves Pabau. US claims then reach payers through Claim.MD.

When a claim does come back rejected, Pabau flags it as Needs action and links straight to the field to correct. Your team fixes fracture follow-up claims in minutes, so less time goes to appeals.

Reduce claim denials on fracture follow-up codes

Pabau scrubs each claim for missing or invalid details before it goes to payers through Claim.MD. Rejected claims come back flagged, with a link to the field that needs fixing.

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Conclusion

The most preventable S62.024G denial comes from a note that describes slow healing in clinical terms but never writes “delayed healing.”

A short talk with providers about that wording protects more of these claims than any coding fix. Once the note supports the G suffix, the rest of the claim follows the standard subsequent-encounter workflow.

Treat the side and the displacement with the same care as the suffix. Six codes share this fracture site, and only one of them fits a nondisplaced right-wrist fracture. Strong revenue cycle management depends on getting that match right the first time. Book a demo to see how Pabau validates fracture follow-up claims before they leave your practice.

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