Hospital del Mar criteria: Scoring, interpretation, and clinical use
Clinicians managing hypermobility-related conditions face a persistent documentation problem. The Beighton score has dominated joint hypermobility screening for decades. Its 9-point scale misses several peripheral joints that frequently cause symptoms. The Hospital del Mar criteria takes a wider view. It scores 10 items across the hand, the limbs, and the skin, one point each. This […]
ICD-10 Code M45.3: Ankylosing spondylitis of the cervicothoracic region
ICD-10 Code M45.3: Definition and billable status ICD-10 Code M45.3 is a billable, specific ICD-10-CM diagnosis code. Its official descriptor is Ankylosing spondylitis of cervicothoracic region, the C7-T1 junction. The code carries an adult diagnosis restriction, so it applies to patients aged 15 years and older. It took effect on October 1, 2025 under the […]
Full can test: Procedure, interpretation, and accuracy
A patient raises their arm to shoulder height, you press down, and the arm gives way. That moment tells you more about the supraspinatus than anything in the history. The full can test provokes that response on purpose. Thumb up, arm at 90 degrees in the scapular plane, then a steady downward push. Most clinicians […]
ICD-10 Code M45.6: Ankylosing spondylitis lumbar region
ICD-10 Code M45.6: Definition and billable status M45.6 is valid for use in FY2026 claims and became effective on October 1, 2025 under the CMS annual ICD-10-CM update. The code comes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification. That US adaptation is maintained jointly by CMS and the National Center for Health […]
CPT code 20150: Excision of epiphyseal bar billing guide
CPT code 20150 covers excision of an epiphyseal bar, with or without an autogenous soft tissue graft obtained through the same fascial incision. An epiphyseal bar is a bony bridge across a growth plate, and removing it is what this code pays for. The AMA maintains the descriptor as part of the CPT code set. […]
CPT code 20251: Open vertebral body biopsy billing guide
CPT code 20251 is the AMA code for an open biopsy of the vertebral body at the lumbar or cervical level. The official descriptor reads: Biopsy, vertebral body, open; lumbar or cervical. It sits in the General Excision subsection of the AMA’s CPT code set, inside the Musculoskeletal System chapter (codes 20000-29999). The key billing […]
ICD-10 code S34.5XXA: Lumbar, sacral and pelvic sympathetic nerves
Code details at a glance The table below summarizes the billing and validity facts for S34.5XXA. Coders in sports medicine and spinal injury practices should check these against their payer’s current local coverage determinations (LCDs) before submission. Field Detail ICD-10-CM code S34.5XXA Full description Injury of lumbar, sacral and pelvic sympathetic nerves, initial encounter Billable […]
ICD-10 Code M54.2: Cervicalgia (neck pain) billing guide 2026
ICD-10 Code M54.2: definition and clinical description M54.2 represents cervicalgia, pain localized to the cervical spine region. According to the CDC ICD-10-CM web tool, M54.2 sits in the dorsalgia category (M54) inside the musculoskeletal and connective tissue chapter (M00-M99). The code captures neck pain that no discrete structural diagnosis explains. The official Applicable To annotation […]
ICD-10 Code M17.5: Unilateral secondary osteoarthritis of knee
ICD-10 Code M17.5: definition and billable status ICD-10 Code M17.5 covers other unilateral secondary osteoarthritis of knee. It is a billable, specific code, valid for claims submitted under the 2026 ICD-10-CM edition that took effect on October 1, 2025. The word “secondary” is the distinction that matters. Primary osteoarthritis develops through idiopathic joint degeneration with […]
ICD-10 code S52.033J: Displaced olecranon fracture, delayed healing
Code details at a glance The table below summarizes the administrative attributes of ICD-10 code S52.033J as recorded in the CDC/NCHS ICD-10-CM web tool. Attribute Detail Full code S52.033J Full description Displaced fracture of olecranon process with intraarticular extension of unspecified ulna, subsequent encounter for open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC with delayed healing […]