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S61.40 ICD-10-CM Code: Unspecified open wound of hand

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — see the character table on this page
Tabular directives
2 Excludes1 · 3 Excludes2 · 1 code-also instruction

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for S61.40 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Notes without a marker are published on S61.40 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from S61

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Source: inherited from S60-S69

Code Also

Additional codes that may be required to fully describe the encounter.

  • any associated wound infection

Source: inherited from S61

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S61"

  • A — initial encounter
  • D — subsequent encounter
  • S — sequela

How the encounter character is assigned. “Initial encounter” means the patient is receiving active treatment for the condition — it is not limited to the first visit, and a different or new provider giving active treatment still assigns it. “Subsequent encounter” covers care during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment. “Sequela” is for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of the original condition.

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.19.a (paraphrased by MedCoder).

Variant codes in this family

S61.401A, S61.401D, S61.401S, S61.402A, S61.402D, S61.402S, S61.409A, S61.409D

Character meanings are CMS's official 7th-character extensions for this family, as carried in each variant code's official description; variant codes are registry rows. The explanation of how the encounter character is assigned is MedCoder editorial, distinct from the official content above it.

Code Overview

Unspecified open wound of hand is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S61.40). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Decision Points

The directives on this code's own record, as a pre-claim checklist.

  1. A 7th character applies in this family. Confirm the documented encounter matches the character assigned. See the official 7th-character definitions and this code’s variants
  2. 1 Code Also note — a second code may apply; the guidelines leave its sequencing to the circumstances of the encounter. See the Code Also notes
  3. 2 Excludes1 entries — codes named there are generally not reported together with this code (Guidelines I.A.12.a). See the Excludes1 notes
  4. 3 Excludes2 entries — those conditions are not part of this code and may be reported additionally when documented. See the Excludes2 notes

Checklist rows are derived from this code's own official directives; the wording of each check is MedCoder editorial. The official notes themselves are in the sections each row links to.

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

Other codes that name S61.40 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 11 Excludes2 notes: S50 — Superficial injury of elbow and forearm (via S61.-), S50-S59 — Injuries to the elbow and forearm (S50-S59) (via S61.-), S51 — Open wound of elbow and forearm (via S61.-), S52 — Fracture of forearm (via S61.-), S53 — Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of elbow (via S61.-), S54 — Injury of nerves at forearm level (via S61.-), S55 — Injury of blood vessels at forearm level (via S61.-), S56 — Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at forearm level (via S61.-), S57 — Crushing injury of elbow and forearm (via S61.-), S58 — Traumatic amputation of elbow and forearm (via S61.-), S59 — Other and unspecified injuries of elbow and forearm (via S61.-).

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Referenced by 1 Use Additional Code instruction: S67 — Crushing injury of wrist, hand and fingers (via S61.-).

These codes instruct coders to additionally report this code when it applies.

Referenced by 3 Code Also instructions: S64 — Injury of nerves at wrist and hand level (via S61.-), S65 — Injury of blood vessels at wrist and hand level (via S61.-), S66 — Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at wrist and hand level (via S61.-).

These codes suggest coding this condition alongside when both are present.

Related Codes

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Wound, open”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

S31.60A — Unspecified open wound of abdominal wall, unspecified flank with penetration into peritoneal cavity (flank, with penetration into peritoneal cavity), S31.809 — Unspecified open wound of unspecified buttock (buttock), S31.819 — Unspecified open wound of right buttock (buttock, right), S31.829 — Unspecified open wound of left buttock (buttock, left), S31.835 — Open bite of anus (anus, bite), S31.839 — Unspecified open wound of anus (anus), S41.00 — Unspecified open wound of shoulder (shoulder), S41.10 — Unspecified open wound of upper arm (arm), S51.00 — Unspecified open wound of elbow (elbow), S51.80 — Unspecified open wound of forearm (forearm), S71.00 — Unspecified open wound of hip (hip), S71.10 — Unspecified open wound of thigh (thigh), S81.00 — Unspecified open wound of knee (knee), S81.80 — Unspecified open wound of lower leg (leg), S91.00 — Unspecified open wound of ankle (ankle), S91.101 — Unspecified open wound of right great toe without damage to nail (toe, great, right), S91.102 — Unspecified open wound of left great toe without damage to nail (toe, great, left), S91.103 — Unspecified open wound of unspecified great toe without damage to nail (toe, great), S91.104 — Unspecified open wound of right lesser toe(s) without damage to nail (toe, lesser, right), S91.105 — Unspecified open wound of left lesser toe(s) without damage to nail (toe, lesser, left), +87 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of S61.40 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run S61.40 with these 12 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes2 notes (11)

Referenced by Use Additional Code instructions

Referenced by Code Also instructions

Nearest codes (40)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Common coding questions

Can S61.40 be billed directly?

No. S61.40 (Unspecified open wound of hand) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Does S61.40 require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S61.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Unspecified open wound of hand

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to S61.40 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the S61 family