Orthopedic Coding Alert

Question: Encounter notes indicate that the provider treated a patient with a Bennett’s fracture. What is a Bennett’s fracture, and how do I choose a CPT® code for the treatment of the injury?

Tennessee Subscriber

Answer: According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bennett’s fracture (also known as Bennett fracture) “is the most common fracture involving the base of the thumb. This fracture refers to an intraarticular fracture that separates the palmar ulnar aspect of the first metacarpal base from the remaining first metacarpal.”

Depending on the specifics of the encounter, you’ll choose one of the following CPT® codes for the Bennett fracture treatment:

• 26645 (Closed treatment of carpometacarpal fracture dislocation, thumb (Bennett fracture), with manipulation)
• 26650 (Percutaneous skeletal fixation of carpometacarpal fracture dislocation, thumb (Bennett fracture), with manipulation)
• 26665 (Open treatment of carpometacarpal fracture dislocation, thumb (Bennett fracture), includes internal fixation, when performed)

Depending on the specifics of the injury, you’ll choose one of the following six-character ICD-10 codes for the condition:

• S62.211- (Bennett’s fracture, right hand)
• S62.212- (Bennett’s fracture, left hand)
• S62.213- (Bennett’s fracture, unspecified hand)

Don’t stop there: Once you’ve settled on a six-character diagnosis code for the fracture, be sure to select one of the following 7th characters to complete the ICD-10 code:

A = initial encounter for closed fracture

B = initial encounter for open fracture

D = subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing

G = subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing

K = subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing

P = subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing

S = sequela.