Inflammation of the trochanteric bursa overlying the greater trochanter of the left hip, causing lateral hip pain and localized tenderness.

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M70.62.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 7 cited references ↓

• Specify 'left' hip explicitly in the assessment — 'trochanteric bursitis' without laterality forces a drop to M70.60 (unspecified), which invites audit flags and payer downcoding.
• Record point tenderness over the greater trochanter and results of provocative tests (Ober's test, resisted hip abduction) to satisfy clinical validation requirements.
• If imaging was obtained, document the modality (ultrasound or MRI) and findings (e.g., bursal fluid, bursal wall thickening) to support the diagnosis and justify injection under image guidance (20611 vs. 20610).
• For injection encounters, document the specific bursa injected ('left trochanteric bursa'), the medication and dose, and the patient's response — particularly important for post-injection progress notes.
• When billing 20610 or 20611 with M70.62, confirm the payer's LCD requirements for corticosteroid injections at this site; some require documented failure of conservative care first.

Related CPT procedures

Procedure codes commonly billed with M70.62. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.

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

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M70.62 and adjacent codes.

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

• Using M25.552 (Pain in left hip) when the provider has already documented a specific diagnosis of trochanteric bursitis — once a definitive diagnosis is established, symptom codes are not reported separately.
• Confusing M70.62 (trochanteric bursitis, left) with M70.72 (other bursitis of hip, left) — M70.72 is for non-trochanteric left hip bursitis without specific greater trochanter involvement.
• Omitting laterality and landing on M70.60 (unspecified hip) when the chart clearly states left — unspecified codes increase audit risk and can reduce reimbursement.
• Coding gluteal tendinopathy as M70.62 — gluteal tendinopathy has its own code (M76.6x) and is explicitly excluded from the M70.6 trochanteric bursitis family.
• Billing 20610 when ultrasound guidance was used — image-guided injection requires 20611, and misuse of 20610 in that scenario is a common claim denial trigger.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 7 cited references ↓

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M70.6 (laterality / anatomic variants).