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A radiologic examination of the hand, designated by CPT® Code 73120, involves the use of X-ray imaging to capture detailed images of the internal structures of the hand. This procedure utilizes indirect ionizing radiation, which interacts with the varying densities and compositions of human tissue. As X-rays pass through the hand, some are absorbed while others are transmitted, allowing for the creation of a two-dimensional image on a detector. The resulting radiographs are essential for diagnosing a variety of conditions, including fractures, dislocations, deformities, degenerative bone diseases, osteomyelitis, arthritis, foreign bodies, and tumors. Additionally, hand X-rays are instrumental in assessing the 'bone age' of pediatric patients, which can help identify potential nutritional or metabolic disorders that may affect normal growth and development. The examination typically includes two views: a posteroanterior view, where the palm is placed flat against the film, and a lateral view, where the hand is positioned upright on the ulnar side. Oblique views may also be obtained to provide further detail, with the hand slightly rolled to capture different angles. This comprehensive imaging approach ensures that a thorough evaluation of the hand's anatomy and any pathological conditions can be achieved.
© Copyright 2025 Coding Ahead. All rights reserved.
The radiologic examination of the hand, coded as CPT® 73120, is indicated for a variety of clinical scenarios. These include:
The procedure for a radiologic examination of the hand involves several key steps to ensure accurate imaging. The first step is positioning the patient correctly for the posteroanterior view. The patient is instructed to place their palm flat against the X-ray film or detector, ensuring that the hand is fully extended. This view captures the metacarpals, phalanges, interphalangeal joints, and the carpal bones, as well as the radius and ulna. Next, the lateral view is obtained by having the patient position their hand upright, resting on the ulnar side of the palm and little finger, with the thumb on top. The fingers should be supported by a sponge and splayed to prevent overlap, allowing for a clear view of the hand's anatomy. Additionally, oblique views may be taken by having the patient place their hand palm down and roll it slightly outward while keeping the fingertips in contact with the film surface. The X-ray beam is angled perpendicular to the film cassette and directed at the middle finger metacarpophalangeal joint to capture the necessary details. This multi-view approach ensures comprehensive imaging of the hand, facilitating accurate diagnosis and assessment.
After the radiologic examination of the hand is completed, the images are reviewed for clarity and diagnostic quality. The radiologist or healthcare provider will interpret the X-rays to identify any abnormalities or conditions present. Patients may be advised to follow up with their physician to discuss the results and any necessary further actions or treatments based on the findings. There are typically no specific post-procedure care instructions required for patients following a hand X-ray, as the procedure is non-invasive and does not involve any recovery time. However, patients should be informed about the importance of discussing any symptoms or concerns with their healthcare provider during subsequent visits.
| Short Descr | X-RAY EXAM OF HAND | Medium Descr | RADEX HAND 2 VIEWS | Long Descr | Radiologic examination, hand; 2 views | Status Code | Active Code | Global Days | XXX - Global Concept Does Not Apply | PC/TC Indicator (26, TC) | 1 - Diagnostic Tests for Radiology Services | Multiple Procedures (51) | 0 - No payment adjustment rules for multiple procedures apply. | Bilateral Surgery (50) | 3 - The usual payment adjustment for bilateral procedures does not apply. | Physician Supervisions | 09 - Concept does not apply. | Assistant Surgeon (80, 82) | 0 - Payment restriction for assistants at surgery applies to this procedure... | Co-Surgeons (62) | 0 - Co-surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Team Surgery (66) | 0 - Team surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Diagnostic Imaging Family | 99 - Concept Does Not Apply | APC Status Indicator | STV-Packaged Codes | ASC Payment Indicator | Packaged service/item; no separate payment made. | Type of Service (TOS) | 4 - Diagnostic Radiology | Berenson-Eggers TOS (BETOS) | I1B - Standard imaging - musculoskeletal | MUE | 2 | CCS Clinical Classification | 226 - Other diagnostic radiology and related techniques |
| 26 | Professional component: certain procedures are a combination of a physician or other qualified health care professional component and a technical component. when the physician or other qualified health care professional component is reported separately, the service may be identified by adding modifier 26 to the usual procedure number. | LT | Left side (used to identify procedures performed on the left side of the body) | RT | Right side (used to identify procedures performed on the right side of the body) | TC | Technical component; under certain circumstances, a charge may be made for the technical component alone; under those circumstances the technical component charge is identified by adding modifier 'tc' to the usual procedure number; technical component charges are institutional charges and not billed separately by physicians; however, portable x-ray suppliers only bill for technical component and should utilize modifier tc; the charge data from portable x-ray suppliers will then be used to build customary and prevailing profiles | 50 | Bilateral procedure: unless otherwise identified in the listings, bilateral procedures that are performed at the same session, should be identified by adding modifier 50 to the appropriate 5 digit code. note: this modifier should not be appended to designated "add-on" codes (see appendix d). | X5 | Diagnostic services requested by another clinician: for reporting services by a clinician who furnishes care to the patient only as requested by another clinician or subsequent and related services requested by another clinician; this modifier is reported for patient relationships that may not be adequately captured by the above alternative categories; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the radiologist's interpretation of an imaging study requested by another clinician | 52 | Reduced services: under certain circumstances a service or procedure is partially reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the physician or other qualified health care professional. under these circumstances the service provided can be identified by its usual procedure number and the addition of modifier 52, signifying that the service is reduced. this provides a means of reporting reduced services without disturbing the identification of the basic service. note: for hospital outpatient reporting of a previously scheduled procedure/service that is partially reduced or cancelled as a result of extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well-being of the patient prior to or after administration of anesthesia, see modifiers 73 and 74 (see modifiers approved for asc hospital outpatient use). | FY | X-ray taken using computed radiography technology/cassette-based imaging | 76 | Repeat procedure or service by same physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was repeated by the same physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 76 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 59 | Distinct procedural service: under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was distinct or independent from other non-e/m services performed on the same day. modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services, other than e/m services, that are not normally reported together, but are appropriate under the circumstances. documentation must support a different session, different procedure or surgery, different site or organ system, separate incision/excision, separate lesion, or separate injury (or area of injury in extensive injuries) not ordinarily encountered or performed on the same day by the same individual. however, when another already established modifier is appropriate it should be used rather than modifier 59. only if no more descriptive modifier is available, and the use of modifier 59 best explains the circumstances, should modifier 59 be used. note: modifier 59 should not be appended to an e/m service. to report a separate and distinct e/m service with a non-e/m service performed on the same date, see modifier 25. | GC | This service has been performed in part by a resident under the direction of a teaching physician | GW | Service not related to the hospice patient's terminal condition | AQ | Physician providing a service in an unlisted health professional shortage area (hpsa) | XS | Separate structure, a service that is distinct because it was performed on a separate organ/structure | Q6 | Service furnished under a fee-for-time compensation arrangement by a substitute physician or by a substitute physical therapist furnishing outpatient physical therapy services in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area | FX | X-ray taken using film | CC | Procedure code change (use 'cc' when the procedure code submitted was changed either for administrative reasons or because an incorrect code was filed) | GA | Waiver of liability statement issued as required by payer policy, individual case | F5 | Right hand, thumb | Q5 | Service furnished under a reciprocal billing arrangement by a substitute physician or by a substitute physical therapist furnishing outpatient physical therapy services in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area | X1 | Continuous/broad services: for reporting services by clinicians, who provide the principal care for a patient, with no planned endpoint of the relationship; services in this category represent comprehensive care, dealing with the entire scope of patient problems, either directly or in a care coordination role; reporting clinician service examples include, but are not limited to: primary care, and clinicians providing comprehensive care to patients in addition to specialty care | X4 | Episodic/focused services: for reporting services by clinicians who provide focused care on particular types of treatment limited to a defined period and circumstance; the patient has a problem, acute or chronic, that will be treated with surgery, radiation, or some other type of generally time-limited intervention; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the orthopedic surgeon performing a knee replacement and seeing the patient through the postoperative period | 22 | Increased procedural services: when the work required to provide a service is substantially greater than typically required, it may be identified by adding modifier 22 to the usual procedure code. documentation must support the substantial additional work and the reason for the additional work (ie, increased intensity, time, technical difficulty of procedure, severity of patient's condition, physical and mental effort required). note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 53 | Discontinued procedure: under certain circumstances, the physician or other qualified health care professional may elect to terminate a surgical or diagnostic procedure. due to extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well being of the patient, it may be necessary to indicate that a surgical or diagnostic procedure was started but discontinued. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 53 to the code reported by the individual for the discontinued procedure. note: this modifier is not used to report the elective cancellation of a procedure prior to the patient's anesthesia induction and/or surgical preparation in the operating suite. for outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgery center (asc) reporting of a previously scheduled procedure/service that is partially reduced or cancelled as a result of extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well being of the patient prior to or after administration of anesthesia, see modifiers 73 and 74 (see modifiers approved for asc hospital outpatient use). | 58 | Staged or related procedure or service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional during the postoperative period: it may be necessary to indicate that the performance of a procedure or service during the postoperative period was: (a) planned or anticipated (staged); (b) more extensive than the original procedure; or (c) for therapy following a surgical procedure. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 58 to the staged or related procedure. note: for treatment of a problem that requires a return to the operating/procedure room (eg, unanticipated clinical condition), see modifier 78. | 77 | Repeat procedure by another physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a basic procedure or service was repeated by another physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 77 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 79 | Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional during the postoperative period: the individual may need to indicate that the performance of a procedure or service during the postoperative period was unrelated to the original procedure. this circumstance may be reported by using modifier 79. (for repeat procedures on the same day, see modifier 76.) | 95 | Synchronous telemedicine service rendered via a real-time interactive audio and video telecommunications system: synchronous telemedicine service is defined as a real-time interaction between a physician or other qualified health care professional and a patient who is located at a distant site from the physician or other qualified health care professional. the totality of the communication of information exchanged between the physician or other qualified health care professional and the patient during the course of the synchronous telemedicine service must be of an amount and nature that would be sufficient to meet the key components and/or requirements of the same service when rendered via a face-to-face interaction. modifier 95 may only be appended to the services listed in appendix p. appendix p is the list of cpt codes for services that are typically performed face-to-face, but may be rendered via a real-time (synchronous) interactive audio and video telecommunications system. | AT | Acute treatment (this modifier should be used when reporting service 98940, 98941, 98942) | CG | Policy criteria applied | CR | Catastrophe/disaster related | F1 | Left hand, second digit | F2 | Left hand, third digit | F3 | Left hand, fourth digit | F4 | Left hand, fifth digit | F6 | Right hand, second digit | F7 | Right hand, third digit | F8 | Right hand, fourth digit | F9 | Right hand, fifth digit | FA | Left hand, thumb | FT | Unrelated evaluation and management (e/m) visit on the same day as another e/m visit or during a global procedure (preoperative, postoperative period, or on the same day as the procedure, as applicable). (report when an e/m visit is furnished within the global period but is unrelated, or when one or more additional e/m visits furnished on the same day are unrelated) | GP | Services delivered under an outpatient physical therapy plan of care | GV | Attending physician not employed or paid under arrangement by the patient's hospice provider | GX | Notice of liability issued, voluntary under payer policy | GY | Item or service statutorily excluded, does not meet the definition of any medicare benefit or, for non-medicare insurers, is not a contract benefit | PC | Wrong surgery or other invasive procedure on patient | QJ | Services/items provided to a prisoner or patient in state or local custody, however the state or local government, as applicable, meets the requirements in 42 cfr 411.4 (b) | SA | Nurse practitioner rendering service in collaboration with a physician | SG | Ambulatory surgical center (asc) facility service | TR | School-based individualized education program (iep) services provided outside the public school district responsible for the student | X2 | Continuous/focused services: for reporting services by clinicians whose expertise is needed for the ongoing management of a chronic disease or a condition that needs to be managed and followed with no planned endpoint to the relationship; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to: a rheumatologist taking care of the patient's rheumatoid arthritis longitudinally but not providing general primary care services | XE | Separate encounter, a service that is distinct because it occurred during a separate encounter | XP | Separate practitioner, a service that is distinct because it was performed by a different practitioner | XU | Unusual non-overlapping service, the use of a service that is distinct because it does not overlap usual components of the main service |
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| 2009-01-01 | Changed | Code description changed |
| Pre-1990 | Added | Code added. |
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