M92.30

Juvenile osteochondrosis affecting an upper limb that does not fit a named site-specific subcategory, with laterality undocumented or unspecified.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 4 sources ↓

Status: Billable
Chapter: 13
Related CPT: 10
Region: Shoulder

Drawn from CDCICDicd10data.com 2026AAPC

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M92.30.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 4 cited references ↓

Record laterality explicitly — 'right upper limb' or 'left upper limb' — to support M92.31 or M92.32 rather than defaulting to M92.30.
Specify the affected bone or joint (humerus, radius, ulna, carpals) when known; a named site may qualify for a more granular code under M92.0 or M92.1.
Include the patient's skeletal maturity status or age to confirm this is a juvenile/pediatric presentation and not an adult condition requiring a different code category.
Document imaging findings (plain film, MRI) that support the osteochondrosis diagnosis — fragmentation, sclerosis, or irregularity of an ossification center.
Note any prior conservative treatment attempted (rest, splinting, physical therapy) as this supports medical necessity for imaging and specialist referral.

Related CPT procedures

Procedure codes commonly billed with M92.30. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.

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

73080 $33.07

Radiologic examination of the elbow, complete, requiring a minimum of three views.

73100 $34.40

Radiologic examination of the wrist with a minimum of two views.

73110 $42.75

Radiologic examination of the wrist, complete, requiring a minimum of three views

73130 $38.08

Radiographic examination of the hand requiring a minimum of three views.

73140 $39.41

Radiologic examination of one or more fingers, requiring a minimum of two views.

24200 $243.16

Surgical removal of a foreign body lodged in the subcutaneous tissue of the upper arm or elbow area.

24201 $667.35

Surgical removal of a foreign body lodged deep in the upper arm or elbow, requiring dissection through the fascia into subfascial or intramuscular tissue.

25210 $467.28

Open surgical removal of one or more carpal (wrist) bones through a direct incision, excluding the pisiform.

25215 $577.84

Surgical removal of all three bones in the proximal carpal row — scaphoid, lunate, and triquetrum — to relieve pain and restore wrist function.

73090 View procedure details

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M92.30 and adjacent codes.

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

Using M92.30 when laterality is actually documented elsewhere in the chart — payers can identify this discrepancy during audit and downcode or deny the claim.
Defaulting to M92.30 instead of checking whether a site-specific code under M92.0 (humerus) or M92.1 (radius and ulna) better describes the documented condition.
Billing the non-billable parent code M92.3 instead of M92.30 — M92.3 is not valid for reimbursement; only the full 5-character codes are billable.
Applying this code to adult patients; osteochondrosis coded under M92 is classified as juvenile. For adult presentations, verify whether a different category applies.
Omitting a laterality-specific code simply because the order of encounter documentation is incomplete — query the provider before submitting M92.30.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 4 cited references ↓

M92.30 covers pediatric osteochondrosis of the upper extremity when the affected limb is not specified as right or left, and the condition does not map to a more precise site code such as M92.0x (humerus) or M92.1x (radius and ulna). Juvenile osteochondrosis in this region involves disruption of ossification centers in growing bone — typically presenting in skeletally immature patients with activity-related pain, swelling, and radiographic changes at the involved epiphysis or apophysis.

This code sits under parent M92.3 (Other juvenile osteochondrosis, upper limb), which branches into M92.30 (unspecified limb), M92.31 (right upper limb), and M92.32 (left upper limb). M92.30 should only be used when the operative note or clinical documentation genuinely omits laterality — not as a default. If laterality is documented anywhere in the encounter record, use M92.31 or M92.32 instead.

For upper-limb juvenile osteochondrosis with a clearly identified bone (e.g., capitellum osteochondrosis, Panner disease of the humerus), exhaust the site-specific codes under M92.0 and M92.1 before defaulting to M92.30. Payer audits increasingly flag unspecified laterality codes in pediatric orthopedic claims, particularly when imaging records are present in the chart.

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M92.3 (laterality / anatomic variants).

M92.31

Other juvenile osteochondrosis, right upper limb

M92.32

Other juvenile osteochondrosis, left upper limb

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 4 cited references ↓

01When is M92.30 the correct code rather than M92.31 or M92.32?

Use M92.30 only when the provider's documentation does not specify right or left. If laterality appears anywhere in the encounter record — history, exam, or imaging report — use M92.31 (right) or M92.32 (left) instead.

02Can M92.30 be used for an adult patient diagnosed with upper limb osteochondrosis?

No. The M92 category is classified as juvenile osteochondrosis. For adult patients, review whether the condition maps to a different category. Query the provider if the clinical picture is unclear.

03How does M92.30 differ from M92.0x and M92.1x?

M92.0x covers juvenile osteochondrosis specifically of the humerus, and M92.1x covers the radius and ulna. M92.30 is a catch-all for upper limb osteochondrosis that does not fit those named sites — and when laterality is also unspecified. Always exhaust the more specific codes first.

04Is M92.3 billable for claim submission?

No. M92.3 is a non-billable parent code. You must use one of its child codes — M92.30, M92.31, or M92.32 — for reimbursement. Submitting M92.3 directly will result in claim rejection.

05What imaging CPT codes are commonly paired with M92.30?

Radiographic studies of the elbow (73080), forearm (73090), wrist (73100 or 73110), or hand (73130 or 73140) are appropriate depending on the documented anatomical site. MRI codes may also apply when advanced imaging is ordered to characterize the osteochondrosis.

06Does M92.30 require a 7th character extension?

No. M92.30 is an M-code (musculoskeletal disease category) and does not use 7th-character extensions. Those apply to injury S-codes (A = initial, D = subsequent, S = sequela), not to disease classification codes.

07Should M92.30 be queried back to the provider before claim submission if the chart contains imaging?

Yes. If an imaging report is in the chart and identifies the affected side, query the provider to confirm laterality and update the diagnosis code to M92.31 or M92.32 before submitting. Leaving the code at M92.30 when laterality is knowable is a documentation gap that payers can flag.

Sources & references

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

01CDC ICD-10-CM Tabular List 2026 — https://icd10cmtool.cdc.gov/
02ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2026 — http://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/250974
03icd10data.com 2026 Code M92.30 — https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M91-M94/M92-/M92.30
04AAPC Codify ICD-10 M92.3 — https://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M92.3

Mira AI Scribe

Mira's AI scribe captures the affected limb side, the specific bone or region involved, the patient's age or skeletal maturity status, and any imaging findings (ossification center fragmentation, sclerosis, joint space changes) documented during the encounter. Capturing laterality at the point of care prevents automatic fallback to the unspecified M92.30 and avoids audit flags associated with missing site detail in pediatric orthopedic claims.

See how Mira captures M92.30 documentation