M10.30

M10.30 identifies acute gout caused by renal impairment when the affected joint site is not documented or cannot be specified.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 5 sources ↓

Status: Billable
Chapter: 13
Related CPT: 9
Region: General

Drawn from CDCICD10DataAAPC

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M10.30.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 5 cited references ↓

Explicitly link the gout diagnosis to the renal condition in the assessment — 'gout secondary to CKD stage 3' is sufficient; 'gout' alone is not.
Document the specific joint involved at every encounter; if a joint is examined, named, or imaged, use the site-specific M10.3x code instead of M10.30.
Sequence the associated renal disease code first (e.g., N18.3, N18.4) before M10.30 per the M10.3 'Code First' instruction in the ICD-10-CM Tabular List.
Distinguish acute versus chronic gout in the note — terms like 'gout flare,' 'acute attack,' or 'podagra' support M10.30; 'chronic gouty arthritis' points to M1A instead.
Record serum uric acid levels and any imaging findings (joint effusion, erosions, tophi) to support medical necessity and payer scrutiny of the renal-gout relationship.

Related CPT procedures

Procedure codes commonly billed with M10.30. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.

Source · CMS LCDs · AAOS specialty guidance · claims-pattern analysis

20600 $56.11

Needle aspiration and/or injection of a small joint or bursa — such as a finger or toe joint — performed without ultrasound guidance.

20605 $57.12

Aspiration and/or injection of an intermediate joint or bursa — such as the wrist, elbow, ankle, acromioclavicular joint, or olecranon bursa — performed without ultrasound guidance.

20610 $68.81

Aspiration and/or injection of a major joint or bursa (shoulder, hip, knee, or subacromial bursa) performed without ultrasound guidance.

99213 $95.19

Established patient office or outpatient visit requiring 20–29 minutes of total time or low-complexity medical decision-making.

99214 $135.61

Office visit for an established patient requiring moderate-complexity medical decision making (MDM), or 30–39 minutes of total provider time on the date of service.

99215 $192.39

Highest-level office or outpatient E/M visit for an established patient, qualifying via high-complexity medical decision making or 40–54 minutes of total provider time on the date of service.

73630 $34.07

Radiologic examination of the foot requiring a minimum of three views, used to evaluate fractures, arthritis, tumors, or structural abnormalities.

73560 $34.40

Radiologic examination of the knee joint, one or two views, unilateral.

76881 View procedure details

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M10.30 and adjacent codes.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in CDC ICD-10-CM tabular guidance, AAOS coding references, and cited references ↓

Skipping the 'Code First' instruction: M10.30 must be preceded by the specific renal disease code (N18.x, N28.9, etc.) — submitting M10.30 alone violates sequencing rules.
Using M10.30 when the joint is documented: if the provider names any joint in the note, drop to the appropriate site-specific child code under M10.3x — M10.30 is only correct when the site is genuinely unspecified.
Confusing M10.30 with M10.9 (gout, unspecified): M10.9 has no etiologic link to renal disease; M10.30 requires documented renal impairment as the causative mechanism.
Applying M10.30 to chronic gout: chronic gout secondary to renal impairment belongs in the M1A.3x subcategory, not M10.3x.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 5 cited references ↓

M10.30 applies when the provider has explicitly linked the patient's gout to underlying kidney dysfunction — such as chronic kidney disease or another renal condition — but has not documented which joint is involved. The renal connection is the defining element; without it, this code does not apply. Per the ICD-10-CM Tabular List, the M10.3 parent category carries a 'Code First' instruction requiring you to also report the associated renal disease (e.g., N18.x for chronic kidney disease). Failing to sequence that renal code first is a compliance error, not an oversight.

The 'unspecified site' designation makes M10.30 a last-resort specificity level within the M10.3 family. If the provider documents even a single joint — right knee, left ankle, wrist — a site-specific child code (M10.361, M10.372, M10.331, etc.) must replace M10.30. Payers and RAC auditors flag unspecified-site codes when joint-level documentation exists in the same note.

M10.30 covers acute gout flares and gout attacks secondary to renal impairment at an unspecified site. If the gout is chronic rather than acute, the correct parent category is M1A (chronic gout), not M10. Verify acuity language in the note before assigning any M10 code.

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M10.3 (laterality / anatomic variants).

M10.39

Gout due to renal impairment, multiple sites

M10.38

Gout due to renal impairment, vertebrae

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 5 cited references ↓

01When is M10.30 the correct code rather than a site-specific M10.3x code?

Only when the provider's note genuinely does not identify which joint is affected. If any joint is named, examined, or imaged in the encounter, use the corresponding site-specific child code (e.g., M10.361 for right knee, M10.371 for right ankle and foot).

02What renal codes should be sequenced before M10.30?

Any code that identifies the underlying renal disease — most commonly N18.1–N18.6 (chronic kidney disease by stage), N18.9 (CKD, unspecified), or N28.9 (disorder of kidney, unspecified). The specific code depends on what the provider has documented about the renal condition.

03Can M10.30 be used for chronic gout caused by kidney disease?

No. Chronic gout secondary to renal impairment maps to the M1A.3x subcategory. M10 codes, including M10.30, represent acute gout — flares, attacks, and podagra. Verify acuity before assigning any M10 code.

04How does M10.30 differ from M10.9?

M10.9 is gout with no etiology specified and no site specified. M10.30 specifically attributes the gout to renal impairment — that causal link must be documented by the provider. Do not assign M10.30 based on a comorbid renal diagnosis alone; the provider must connect the two conditions.

05Is M10.30 appropriate when multiple joints are affected?

If multiple sites are affected and documented, M10.39 (gout due to renal impairment, multiple sites) is more accurate than M10.30. Reserve M10.30 for encounters where no joint site at all is identified in the note.

06Does M10.30 require a 7th-character extension?

No. M10.30 is an M-code and does not use 7th-character extensions. The A/D/S extension convention applies to injury S-codes, not to musculoskeletal disease codes in Chapter 13.

07Will payers accept M10.30 without a linked renal diagnosis code?

Most payers will not. The ICD-10-CM 'Code First' instruction at M10.3 is a mandatory sequencing rule, and submitting M10.30 as a standalone code without the associated renal disease code is likely to trigger a claim edit or denial.

Sources & references

Editorial content was developed using the following public sources. Last verified May 8, 2026.

01CDC ICD-10-CM Tabular List 2026 (effective October 1, 2025)
02
icd10data.com
https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M05-M14/M10-/M10.30
03
aapc.com
https://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M10.30
04
aapc.com
https://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M10.3
05
cdc.gov
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd-10-cm/index.html

Mira AI Scribe

The Mira AI Scribe captures the provider's explicit causal statement linking gout to renal dysfunction, the specific joint(s) examined or imaged, acuity language (flare, acute attack vs. chronic), and the documented renal diagnosis with stage or severity. That capture prevents two audit triggers: missing the 'Code First' renal sequencing instruction and defaulting to M10.30 when a site-specific M10.3x code is warranted by the clinical note.

See how Mira captures M10.30 documentation