Bursitis affecting the shoulder joint when the specific side (right or left) is not documented or cannot be determined from the clinical record.
Verified May 8, 2026 · 5 sources ↓
- Status
- Billable
- Chapter
- 13
- Related CPT
- 7
- Region
- Shoulder
Documentation tips
What should appear in the chart to support M75.50.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 5 cited references ↓
- Record the affected side by name (right or left) in every shoulder bursitis note — this single step lets you bill the more specific M75.51 or M75.52 instead of the unspecified fallback.
- Include imaging findings that confirm bursitis: ultrasound evidence of bursal fluid or thickening, or MRI showing subacromial/subdeltoid bursal distension with signal change.
- Document the anatomical bursa involved (subacromial, subdeltoid, scapular) to align with the approximate synonym list and support medical necessity for injection or surgical intervention.
- If injecting under ultrasound guidance, note the specific bursa targeted — this supports both the diagnosis code and CPT 20611 (with ultrasound) versus 20610 (without).
- Capture conservative care history (physical therapy, NSAIDs, prior injections) when justifying escalation to surgical options such as arthroscopic bursectomy.
Related CPT procedures
Procedure codes commonly billed with M75.50. 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 M75.50 and adjacent codes.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CDC ICD-10-CM tabular guidance, AAOS coding references, and cited references ↓
- Defaulting to M75.50 when laterality is documented elsewhere in the chart — check the HPI, physical exam, and imaging report before assigning the unspecified code.
- Confusing subacromial bursitis with impingement syndrome: if the provider documents impingement, use M75.41 (right) or M75.42 (left), not M75.5x.
- Using M75.50 alongside M89.0- (shoulder-hand syndrome) — M75 carries a Type 2 Excludes for shoulder-hand syndrome; review whether a separate code or a different primary code is appropriate.
- Billing M75.50 on an injection claim when M75.51 or M75.52 would satisfy medical necessity requirements — payers may deny or downcode when a more specific code is available and not used.
- Applying a 7th-character extension to M75.50 — M-codes do not use 7th-character encounter extensions (A/D/S); those apply to S-category injury codes only.
Clinical context
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 5 cited references ↓
M75.50 applies when the provider documents shoulder bursitis — including subacromial bursitis, scapular bursitis, or disorder of the shoulder bursa — but fails to specify laterality. The code sits under parent M75.5 (Bursitis of shoulder); its lateral siblings are M75.51 (right) and M75.52 (left). CMS explicitly flags M75.50 as a code warranting greater specificity whenever laterality is available, so treat it as a last resort, not a default.
The most common clinical presentations captured here are subacromial bursitis and scapular bursitis causing pain with overhead activity, impingement-type arc, and tenderness at the subacromial space. Imaging — ultrasound or MRI — confirming bursal fluid or thickening should accompany the diagnosis in the record. If the provider's note or operative report names a shoulder side, you must use M75.51 or M75.52 instead.
M75.50 groups into MS-DRG 557 (Tendonitis, Myositis and Bursitis with MCC) and MS-DRG 558 (without MCC) for inpatient purposes. On the outpatient side, it supports medical necessity for corticosteroid or anesthetic injections into the shoulder bursa (CPT 20610) and shoulder imaging. Note that M75.5x codes carry a Type 2 Excludes for shoulder-hand syndrome (M89.0-); do not use them together without reviewing that exclusion.
Sibling codes
Other billable codes under M75.5 (laterality / anatomic variants).
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 5 cited references ↓
01When is M75.50 appropriate instead of M75.51 or M75.52?
02Does M75.50 support medical necessity for a shoulder bursa injection?
03Can M75.50 be used for subacromial bursitis specifically?
04What CPT codes pair with M75.50 for injection procedures?
05Is M75.50 valid for outpatient and inpatient claims?
06Should M75.50 ever be coded with an impingement syndrome code?
07What is the Type 2 Excludes note under M75 that affects M75.50?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources. Last verified May 8, 2026.
- 01CDC ICD-10-CM Tabular List 2026 (FY2026, effective October 1, 2025)
- 02icd10data.comhttps://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M70-M79/M75-/M75.50
- 03cms.govhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleId=57079
- 04cms.govhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding/icd10/downloads/icd10clinicalconceptsorthopedics1.pdf
- 05aapc.comhttps://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M75.50
Mira AI Scribe
Mira's AI scribe captures shoulder-side documentation, the specific bursa named by the provider (subacromial, subdeltoid, scapular), and any imaging findings confirming bursitis — ensuring M75.51 or M75.52 is used whenever laterality is dictated, and M75.50 is reserved only for genuinely unspecified encounters. This prevents audit flags for unspecified coding when side is available in the record and avoids payer denials on injection claims.
See how Mira captures M75.50 documentation