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CPT 23473: Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty with Prosthesis Exchange

CPT code 23473 captures revision shoulder arthroplasty — removal and replacement of a previously implanted shoulder prosthesis, including revision of the glenoid or humeral component and potential use of an allograft. This procedure is clinically important nationwide because it addresses failed, loose, or damaged shoulder implants that can cause pain, dysfunction, and progressive joint damage. Revision shoulder arthroplasty is resource-intensive and has implications for surgical capacity, implant costs, and post-acute care needs.

Key payers referenced in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The publication summarizes how CPT code 23473 is used across facility types, outlines common clinical scenarios prompting revision, and summarizes payer coverage patterns and coding considerations where available.

Readers will find a concise clinical description of the service, the typical sites of care (hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center), and an overview of the operational and billing context for revision shoulder arthroplasty. The report highlights benchmarks, reimbursement and coding considerations, and policy-relevant updates that affect coverage and utilization for this high-cost surgical procedure. Data not available in the input will be noted as such in relevant sections.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 23473 describes a revision arthroplasty of the shoulder, a surgical procedure in which a previously implanted artificial shoulder prosthesis is removed and replaced with a new prosthesis. The surgeon may revise either the glenoid or humeral component and may use an allograft as part of the reconstruction. The procedure addresses a loose, damaged, or failing prosthesis to prevent further joint damage.

Service type: Surgical — Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty

Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room, or ambulatory surgery center, depending on clinical complexity and payer/site capabilities.

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CPT 23473: Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty with Prosthesis Exchange

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical — Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty

Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room, or ambulatory surgery center, depending on clinical complexity and payer/site capabilities.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 72-year-old patient with a history of primary anatomic shoulder arthroplasty presents with progressive shoulder pain, radiographic evidence of component loosening of the glenoid component, and instability of the joint. Conservative management including activity modification, analgesics, and physical therapy failed to relieve symptoms. Preoperative workup includes shoulder radiographs and CT scan to evaluate bone loss, routine medical clearance, and preoperative anesthesia assessment. In the operating room under general anesthesia with regional block, the orthopedic surgeon removes the loose glenoid prosthesis, prepares the bone bed, may use an allograft to reconstruct bone defects, and implants a revised glenoid component. Intraoperative cultures are obtained if infection is suspected. Postoperative care includes pain control, immobilization in a sling, early passive range-of-motion per surgeon protocol, wound checks, and follow-up radiographs to confirm component positioning and early healing. The clinical workflow commonly involves scheduling in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room with implant inventory and possible blood management resources available.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier	Not typically appended; placeholder in provided list
`11`	Emergency	When the procedure is performed for an emergency indication requiring immediate attention
`22`	Increased procedural services	When work or complexity substantially exceeds typical; document justification
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	When general anesthesia is required for a procedure usually done with local/monitored anesthesia care
`50`	Bilateral procedure	When simultaneous revision arthroplasty is performed on both shoulders
`62`	Two surgeons	When two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Rarely applicable to shoulder arthroplasty; included per list
`66`	Surgical team (e.g., specialty team)	When a documented team approach is used for complex revisions
`78`	Return to the operating room for a related procedure during postoperative period	For unplanned return to OR for complications related to the initial revision
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during postoperative period	For a separate unrelated surgical procedure during the global period
`LT`	Left side	When the revision is performed on the left shoulder
`RT`	Right side	When the revision is performed on the right shoulder
`QK`	Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) direction of two, three, or four concurrent cases	When the anesthesiologist directs MAC for concurrent cases per guidelines

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207L00000X	Orthopaedic Surgery	Primary specialty performing shoulder revision arthroplasty
207LP2900X	Orthopaedic Trauma	Manages complex revisions after fracture or implant failure
207V00000X	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	Provides perioperative and postoperative rehabilitation planning
208D00000X	Anesthesiology	Provides general anesthesia or regional block for the procedure
208000000X	General Surgery	May be involved in complex soft-tissue or combined procedures

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M96.81`	Dislocation of prosthetic joint, shoulder	Indicates a dislocated shoulder prosthesis requiring revision
`M96.82`	Mechanical complication of prosthetic joint, shoulder	Covers loosening, wear, or breakage of prosthetic components prompting revision
`T84.02XA`	Mechanical complication of internal joint prosthesis, initial encounter	Used for mechanical complications of the implant during initial presentation
`T84.02XD`	Mechanical complication of internal joint prosthesis, subsequent encounter	Used for follow-up encounters related to mechanical prosthetic complications
`T84.5XXA`	Infection and inflammatory reaction due to internal joint prosthesis, initial encounter	Used when prosthetic joint infection is suspected or confirmed requiring revision
`M19.011`	Primary osteoarthritis, right shoulder	Underlying arthritis that may have led to initial arthroplasty and subsequent revision
`M19.012`	Primary osteoarthritis, left shoulder	As above for the left side

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`23473`	Revision arthroplasty, glenoid or humeral component, with or without allograft	Primary procedure described; used when replacing a previous shoulder prosthesis component
`24357`	Open treatment of sternoclavicular or acromioclavicular joint reconstruction, with graft	May be used if concurrent acromioclavicular reconstruction is required during revision
`20610`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder)	Preoperative or diagnostic aspiration if infection is suspected prior to revision
`27096`	Bone graft, spine (extra) — (note: not shoulder specific)	Data not available in the input
`29826`	Arthroscopy, shoulder, surgical; capsulorrhaphy (e.g., for instability)	May be performed arthroscopically for diagnostic evaluation or adjunct procedures prior to open revision

CPT 23395: Muscle Transfer to Shoulder or Upper Arm

CPT-23397-MULTIPLE-MUSCLE-TRANSFER-SHOULDER-UPPER-ARM-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 23397: Multiple Muscle Transfer to Shoulder/Upper Arm

CPT-23400-SCAPULAR-FIXATION-RECONSTRUCTION-SPRENGEL-DEFORMITY

CPT 23400: Scapular Fixation for Shoulder Deformity

CPT-23405-SHOULDER-TENOTOMY-TENDON-RELEASE

CPT 23405: Shoulder Tenotomy (Single Tendon, Small Incision)

CPT-23406-SHOULDER-MULTIPLE-TENOTOMY

CPT 23406: Multiple Tenotomy of Shoulder

CPT-23410-OPEN-ROTATOR-CUFF-REPAIR-SHOULDER

CPT 23410: Open Surgical Repair of Acute Rotator Cuff Tear

CPT-23412-OPEN-ROTATOR-CUFF-REPAIR-SHOULDER

CPT 23412: Open Surgical Repair of Chronic Rotator Cuff Tear

CPT-23415-CORACOACROMIAL-LIGAMENT-RELEASE-ACROMIOPLASTY

CPT 23415: Coracoacromial Ligament Release with Acromioplasty

CPT-23420-SHOULDER-RECONSTRUCTION-ACROMIOPLASTY

CPT 23420: Shoulder Reconstruction with Acromioplasty

CPT-23430-BICEPS-TENODESIS-PROXIMAL-HUMERUS

CPT 23430: Biceps Tenodesis to Proximal Humerus

Showing 1–10 of 24

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`00`	No modifier	Not typically appended; placeholder in provided list
`11`	Emergency	When the procedure is performed for an emergency indication requiring immediate attention
`22`	Increased procedural services	When work or complexity substantially exceeds typical; document justification
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	When general anesthesia is required for a procedure usually done with local/monitored anesthesia care
`50`	Bilateral procedure	When simultaneous revision arthroplasty is performed on both shoulders
`62`	Two surgeons	When two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Rarely applicable to shoulder arthroplasty; included per list
`66`	Surgical team (e.g., specialty team)	When a documented team approach is used for complex revisions
`78`	Return to the operating room for a related procedure during postoperative period	For unplanned return to OR for complications related to the initial revision
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during postoperative period	For a separate unrelated surgical procedure during the global period
`LT`	Left side	When the revision is performed on the left shoulder
`RT`	Right side	When the revision is performed on the right shoulder
`QK`	Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) direction of two, three, or four concurrent cases	When the anesthesiologist directs MAC for concurrent cases per guidelines

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207L00000X	Orthopaedic Surgery	Primary specialty performing shoulder revision arthroplasty
207LP2900X	Orthopaedic Trauma	Manages complex revisions after fracture or implant failure
207V00000X	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	Provides perioperative and postoperative rehabilitation planning
208D00000X	Anesthesiology	Provides general anesthesia or regional block for the procedure
208000000X	General Surgery	May be involved in complex soft-tissue or combined procedures

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M96.81`	Dislocation of prosthetic joint, shoulder	Indicates a dislocated shoulder prosthesis requiring revision
`M96.82`	Mechanical complication of prosthetic joint, shoulder	Covers loosening, wear, or breakage of prosthetic components prompting revision
`T84.02XA`	Mechanical complication of internal joint prosthesis, initial encounter	Used for mechanical complications of the implant during initial presentation
`T84.02XD`	Mechanical complication of internal joint prosthesis, subsequent encounter	Used for follow-up encounters related to mechanical prosthetic complications
`T84.5XXA`	Infection and inflammatory reaction due to internal joint prosthesis, initial encounter	Used when prosthetic joint infection is suspected or confirmed requiring revision
`M19.011`	Primary osteoarthritis, right shoulder	Underlying arthritis that may have led to initial arthroplasty and subsequent revision
`M19.012`	Primary osteoarthritis, left shoulder	As above for the left side

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`23473`	Revision arthroplasty, glenoid or humeral component, with or without allograft	Primary procedure described; used when replacing a previous shoulder prosthesis component
`24357`	Open treatment of sternoclavicular or acromioclavicular joint reconstruction, with graft	May be used if concurrent acromioclavicular reconstruction is required during revision
`20610`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder)	Preoperative or diagnostic aspiration if infection is suspected prior to revision
`27096`	Bone graft, spine (extra) — (note: not shoulder specific)	Data not available in the input
`29826`	Arthroscopy, shoulder, surgical; capsulorrhaphy (e.g., for instability)	May be performed arthroscopically for diagnostic evaluation or adjunct procedures prior to open revision

CPT 23395: Muscle Transfer to Shoulder or Upper Arm

CPT-23397-MULTIPLE-MUSCLE-TRANSFER-SHOULDER-UPPER-ARM-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 23397: Multiple Muscle Transfer to Shoulder/Upper Arm

CPT-23400-SCAPULAR-FIXATION-RECONSTRUCTION-SPRENGEL-DEFORMITY

CPT 23400: Scapular Fixation for Shoulder Deformity

CPT-23405-SHOULDER-TENOTOMY-TENDON-RELEASE

CPT 23405: Shoulder Tenotomy (Single Tendon, Small Incision)

CPT-23406-SHOULDER-MULTIPLE-TENOTOMY

CPT 23406: Multiple Tenotomy of Shoulder

CPT-23410-OPEN-ROTATOR-CUFF-REPAIR-SHOULDER

CPT 23410: Open Surgical Repair of Acute Rotator Cuff Tear

CPT-23412-OPEN-ROTATOR-CUFF-REPAIR-SHOULDER

CPT 23412: Open Surgical Repair of Chronic Rotator Cuff Tear

CPT-23415-CORACOACROMIAL-LIGAMENT-RELEASE-ACROMIOPLASTY

CPT 23415: Coracoacromial Ligament Release with Acromioplasty

CPT-23420-SHOULDER-RECONSTRUCTION-ACROMIOPLASTY

CPT 23420: Shoulder Reconstruction with Acromioplasty

CPT-23430-BICEPS-TENODESIS-PROXIMAL-HUMERUS

CPT 23430: Biceps Tenodesis to Proximal Humerus

Showing 1–10 of 24

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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CPT 23473: Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty with Prosthesis Exchange

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Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 23473: Revision Shoulder Arthroplasty with Prosthesis Exchange

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References