M75.32

Calcific tendinitis of the left shoulder — calcium deposits within the rotator cuff tendons or bursa of the left shoulder, causing pain and restricted motion.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 6 sources ↓

Status: Billable
Chapter: 13
Related CPT: 5
Region: Shoulder

Drawn from CDCICD10DataAAPCCMS

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M75.32.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 6 cited references ↓

Explicitly state 'left shoulder' in the assessment — 'shoulder' alone forces a drop to M75.30 (unspecified), which auditors flag.
Record imaging findings that confirm calcification: plain radiograph, ultrasound, or MRI noting calcium deposit location (e.g., supraspinatus tendon), size, and Gärtner classification if used.
Document prior conservative treatment attempted (NSAIDs, physical therapy, subacromial corticosteroid injection) to support medical necessity for any procedural intervention.
If bilateral calcific deposits are confirmed on imaging, document both shoulders separately in the note so both M75.31 and M75.32 can be reported.
Note the absence of acute trauma to distinguish non-traumatic calcific tendinitis from injury-related diagnoses and avoid inappropriate S-code assignment.

Related CPT procedures

Procedure codes commonly billed with M75.32. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.

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

20610 $68.81

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

23000 $571.49

Open surgical removal of calcium deposits located beneath the deltoid muscle in the shoulder (subdeltoid region).

23020 $650.65

Open surgical release of a contracted shoulder joint capsule to restore glenohumeral range of motion, typically performed for adhesive capsulitis or post-traumatic stiffness.

73221 $205.08

MRI of any upper extremity joint — shoulder, elbow, or wrist — performed without contrast material.

77002 View procedure details

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M75.32 and adjacent codes.

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

Using M75.30 (unspecified shoulder) when the provider clearly documented 'left' — always code to the highest specificity the documentation supports.
Assigning a single bilateral code that doesn't exist: there is no M75.33 or equivalent bilateral code in FY2026; report M75.31 + M75.32 separately for bilateral disease.
Confusing calcific tendinitis (M75.32) with impingement syndrome (M75.42) or bicipital tendinitis (M75.22) — each requires distinct clinical and imaging documentation; don't substitute based on symptom overlap.
Failing to add the Excludes2-permitted shoulder-hand syndrome code (M89.0-) when it is separately documented — the Excludes2 note explicitly allows dual coding when both conditions are present.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 6 cited references ↓

M75.32 is the correct billable code when the treating provider explicitly documents calcific tendinitis affecting the left shoulder. The diagnosis encompasses calcified bursa of the left shoulder as well. Use this code for non-traumatic presentations — if the calcification resulted from an acute injury, a trauma-related code takes precedence.

Within the M75.3 family, laterality is mandatory for billing specificity: M75.31 covers the right shoulder, M75.32 the left, and M75.30 is reserved for cases where side is genuinely undocumented. Bilateral presentations do not have a dedicated combination code in FY2026 — assign both M75.31 and M75.32 when imaging or clinical notes confirm bilateral calcific deposits.

The M75 category carries an Excludes2 note for shoulder-hand syndrome (M89.0-), meaning you can report M75.32 alongside M89.0- when both conditions are independently documented. This code groups into MS-DRG 557 (Tendonitis, myositis and bursitis with MCC) or 558 (without MCC) for inpatient purposes. It is also explicitly listed on CMS's coverage article for tendon/ligament injections (A57079), supporting medical necessity for injection procedures such as CPT 20610.

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M75.3 (laterality / anatomic variants).

M75.31

Calcific tendinitis of right shoulder

M75.30

Calcific tendinitis of unspecified shoulder

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 6 cited references ↓

01Is there a bilateral calcific tendinitis code for the shoulder?

No. FY2026 ICD-10-CM does not include a dedicated bilateral code under M75.3. When both shoulders are affected, report M75.31 (right) and M75.32 (left) together.

02What is the difference between M75.32 and M75.42?

M75.32 is calcific tendinitis of the left shoulder — calcium deposits in the tendon or bursa. M75.42 is impingement syndrome of the left shoulder — mechanical compression of soft tissue in the subacromial space. They can coexist but require separate clinical documentation to report together.

03Can M75.32 support medical necessity for a shoulder injection (CPT 20610)?

Yes. CMS billing and coding article A57079 explicitly lists M75.32 as an ICD-10-CM code that supports medical necessity for tendon and ligament injection procedures.

04When should I drop to M75.30 instead of M75.32?

Use M75.30 only when the provider's documentation genuinely does not specify which shoulder is affected. If the note says 'left,' M75.32 is required — using M75.30 in that scenario is an undercoding error.

05Can I report M75.32 and a shoulder-hand syndrome code (M89.0-) on the same claim?

Yes. The M75 category has an Excludes2 note for M89.0-, which means both codes may be reported when both conditions are independently documented by the provider.

06Does M75.32 require a 7th-character extension?

No. M75.32 is a 5-character M-code and does not use 7th-character extensions. Those apply to injury S-codes, not musculoskeletal soft-tissue disorder codes.

07What MS-DRGs does M75.32 map to for inpatient billing?

M75.32 groups to MS-DRG 557 (Tendonitis, myositis and bursitis with MCC) or MS-DRG 558 (Tendonitis, myositis and bursitis without MCC) under MS-DRG v43.0.

Sources & references

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

Mira AI Scribe

Mira AI Scribe captures the provider's explicit laterality call ('left shoulder'), any imaging description of calcium deposits (tendon involved, deposit size, Gärtner grade), duration of symptoms, and prior treatments attempted. That detail locks in M75.32 over the unspecified M75.30, prevents a specificity downcode on audit, and directly supports medical necessity documentation for injection or surgical CPT codes.

See how Mira captures M75.32 documentation