ICD code S62.211B – Bennett's fracture, right hand

Key takeaways

ICD-10 Code S62.211B is a billable diagnosis code for Bennett’s fracture of the right hand, initial encounter for open fracture, valid for FY2026.

The 7th character B marks an open fracture at the initial encounter, while A marks a closed one.

From the subsequent encounter onward the 7th character reports healing status only, so D, G, K and P never restate open or closed.

The record has to specify laterality, open fracture status and initial encounter before a coder can apply S62.211B.

Pabau connects claims management to the Claim.MD clearinghouse, with real-time eligibility checks on fracture and trauma diagnoses.

What is ICD-10 Code S62.211B?

ICD-10 Code S62.211B is the billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for Bennett’s fracture, right hand, initial encounter for open fracture. It is valid and specific for fiscal year 2026 under CMS ICD-10-CM guidelines. It applies to adult patients at a first clinical encounter for an open fracture at the base of the right first metacarpal.

The code sits within the S62 block, which covers fractures of the wrist and hand. That block belongs to chapter 19 of ICD-10-CM, injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes. Coders can confirm current validity with the CDC ICD-10-CM web tool or the AAPC Codify lookup.

Clinical description: Bennett’s fracture of the right hand

Bennett’s fracture is a fracture-dislocation at the base of the first metacarpal, the thumb’s long bone. An axial force along the thumb causes it, usually a fall on an outstretched hand or a blow during contact sports. The injury leaves a small triangular volar fragment attached to the deep anterior oblique ligament. The rest of the metacarpal shaft displaces proximally and radially, pulled by the abductor pollicis longus.

Bennett’s fractures are among the most common thumb injuries managed in emergency and orthopedic settings. Laterality has to be documented, and for S62.211B that means the right hand. Without it, a coder falls back on the unspecified code, which carries a higher denial risk.

• Anatomy: Base of the first metacarpal, intra-articular at the carpometacarpal joint
• Mechanism: Axial load on a partially flexed thumb, such as a punch or a fall
• Clinical signs: Tenderness and swelling at the thumb base, weak pinch grip, visible deformity at the carpometacarpal joint
• Open fracture (S62.211B): Skin integrity is broken at or near the fracture site, which is what separates this code from the closed-fracture variant
• Laterality: Right hand, mandatory for billing, since unspecified laterality triggers payer edits

Understanding the 7th character: What does “B” mean?

The 7th character B in ICD-10 Code S62.211B means initial encounter for open fracture. The patient is under active treatment for a Bennett’s fracture where the bone has broken the skin. ICD-10-CM requires a 7th character on every traumatic fracture code. At the first visit, that character carries both the encounter type and the wound status.

Misapplying the 7th character is one of the most common denial triggers on fracture claims. ICD-10-CM does not subdivide open fractures by Gustilo grade at this code level. A single B covers every open fracture grade at the initial encounter. The full set of options for S62.211 is below.

ICD-10 code hierarchy for S62.211B

S62.211B sits at the most specific level of a five-tier ICD-10-CM hierarchy. Reading the parent codes is how a coder confirms that no more specific option exists for the encounter. For S62.211B, the parent-child chain runs as follows:

Related ICD-10 codes for Bennett’s fracture

Coders working with Bennett’s fracture diagnoses meet the sibling and adjacent codes below regularly. Two errors account for most of the avoidable denials here. One is swapping left for right. The other is reporting an open fracture when the record only describes a closed one. Reading the note before the code is chosen settles both.

Difference between S62.211A and S62.211B

S62.211A is for a closed fracture with the skin intact, and S62.211B is for an open fracture with the skin broken. Both apply at the initial encounter for a Bennett’s fracture of the right hand. The record has to document wound status at the fracture site to support either one. Open fractures carry greater infection risk and usually require irrigation and debridement, so they can draw different CPT pairings.

CPT codes commonly paired with S62.211B

Bennett’s fracture procedures vary by fracture stability and by whether surgical reduction is needed. The codes below are the ones most often reported alongside open Bennett’s fracture management. Payer coverage policies differ, so check each pairing against AMA CPT guidelines and the payer’s Local Coverage Determination first. A broader CPT code reference helps when the operative note describes something none of these four cover.

Practices running integrated claims management software can check eligibility against the specific diagnosis before the patient leaves. That beats finding the coverage problem when the remittance arrives three weeks later.

Documentation requirements and coding guidelines for S62.211B

Accurate documentation is what separates a clean claim from a denial on S62.211B. The ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines require the medical record to support every element the code encodes. None of the four pillars below can be inferred from context, so the record has to carry all four before the claim is released.

• Fracture type (open): The provider has to document that the fracture is open, meaning the skin is disrupted at or near the fracture site. Wording such as “open fracture” or “compound fracture” works, as does a note of a wound communicating with the fracture. Ambiguous documentation defaults to closed.
• Laterality (right hand): The record has to name the right hand explicitly. “Thumb base fracture” without laterality cannot support S62.211B, so the coder queries the provider or uses the unspecified code.
• Encounter type (initial): The 7th character B applies only at the initial encounter, the first visit at which the fracture receives active treatment. Emergency department, urgent care and orthopedic first visits all qualify. Subsequent visits use D, G, K, or P depending on healing status.
• Clinical diagnosis (Bennett’s fracture): The provider has to document a Bennett’s fracture, or a fracture-dislocation at the base of the first metacarpal. A generic “hand fracture” will not support S62.211B, because the intra-articular nature of the injury must be clear from the note or the imaging report.

A provider query checklist for open fracture encounters catches missing wound documentation while the chart is still open. That is the cheapest point in the cycle to fix it. Doing it there keeps denial management down to the claims that genuinely warrant an appeal.

Includes, excludes, and code-first notes for ICD-10-CM S62.211B

ICD-10 Code S62.211B carries no Excludes1 or Excludes2 note that blocks it from being reported with the other codes a fracture encounter usually needs. The tabular instructions that apply to the S62 block, and by inheritance to S62.211B, are listed below.

• 7th character required: S62.211 without a 7th character is not a valid billable code. Claims submitted with the truncated five- or six-character version are rejected by clearinghouse edits.
• External cause code companion: ICD-10-CM guidelines instruct coders to add an external cause code from the V00-Y99 range to identify how the injury happened. W19.XXXA, unspecified fall, initial encounter, is a common example. This is a guideline requirement rather than a payer-optional extra.
• Place of occurrence and activity codes: Where documented, add a place of occurrence code (Y92.-) and an activity code (Y93.-). Both matter most on workers’ compensation and sports injury claims.
• Fracture not indicated as open or closed: The Official Guidelines default to closed when the record does not specify. Use S62.211B only where open fracture status is explicitly documented.
• Code also, if applicable: Where a traumatic fracture accompanies a traumatic amputation of the same body region, follow the sequencing instructions in the tabular. The amputation code may sequence first.

Capture the companion codes at the encounter rather than adding them retroactively. External cause, place of occurrence and activity codes are far harder to source once the patient has gone home.

How Pabau supports accurate ICD-10 coding for fracture diagnoses

Choosing the right ICD-10 code is one step. The claim still has to reach the payer clean, pass eligibility, and clear medical necessity edits before payment is issued.

Practice management software like Pabau connects to the Claim.MD clearinghouse, so the fracture encounter and the claim it produces sit in one system. The clinician documents laterality, encounter type and wound status in the clinical note. Pabau builds the superbill from the verified ICD-10 and CPT codes. The claim then goes out electronically through Claim.MD, which validates it against 4,000+ US payers before it reaches adjudication.

• Real-time eligibility: Confirm coverage for orthopedic fracture treatment before the encounter ends, rather than after a denial arrives.
• Electronic claim submission: CMS-1500 and 837P claims go straight to payers through Claim.MD, with built-in ICD-10 and CPT catalogues that flag invalid combinations.
• ERA and denial management: Electronic Remittance Advice files flow back into Pabau, and CARC denial reason codes appear next to the claim. Correcting an S62.211B denial does not mean leaving the platform.

Reduce ICD-10 coding errors with Pabau

Pabau connects to the Claim.MD clearinghouse, giving your team real-time eligibility checks and clean claim submission on fracture and trauma diagnoses. See how it works for your practice.

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Conclusion

ICD-10 Code S62.211B is a specific, billable diagnosis code for a Bennett’s fracture of the right hand at the initial encounter for an open fracture. It is valid for FY2026 and accepted in HIPAA-covered electronic transactions. Reporting it correctly comes down to documentation that captures laterality, wound status and encounter type before the claim leaves the practice.

Treat the 7th character as two separate decisions rather than one. Wound status settles the first visit, and healing status settles every visit after it. Coders who keep those two apart avoid the denial that sends a Bennett’s fracture claim back for correction. Book a demo to see how Pabau carries a verified code from the clinical note to a submitted claim.

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