Summary & Overview

CPT 24110: Excision of Benign Lesion of Humerus

CPT code 24110 documents the surgical excision of a cyst or other benign mass from the humerus, including submission of the specimen for laboratory analysis. This code captures a focused orthopedic procedure to remove noncancerous lesions of the upper arm bone and is used across inpatient and outpatient surgical settings. Nationally, accurate reporting of this code supports clinical tracking, surgical quality measurement, and appropriate payment for musculoskeletal surgical care.

Key payers addressed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The review covers payer coverage patterns, common billing modifiers in use, and expected sites of service for the procedure.

Readers will find: a concise clinical context for the procedure; benchmarks and utilization perspectives across major payers; common documentation elements needed for accurate coding; and recent policy or guideline considerations that affect billing and claim adjudication. Data not available in the input is noted where relevant. The content is intended for coders, billing professionals, surgical practice managers, and policy analysts seeking a national-level overview of CPT code 24110.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare24110CPTorthopedicsexcisionhumerussurgical-procedurepathology-specimenambulatory-surgery

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 24110 describes excision of a cyst or other benign (noncancerous) lesion from the humerus, the long bone of the upper arm. The procedure involves removal using a cutting or scraping instrument and includes submission of the specimen to a laboratory for pathological analysis to confirm the lesion's nature.

Service type: Surgical — open excision / operative procedure

Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center, and in some cases an outpatient surgical clinic equipped for operative procedures.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 45-year-old patient presents to an orthopedic clinic with a slowly enlarging, palpable, non-tender mass over the proximal humerus. Radiographs and MRI suggest a benign bone cyst or nonossifying fibroma confined to the humeral metaphysis without pathologic fracture. The orthopedic surgeon schedules an outpatient operative procedure under regional or general anesthesia to perform curettage and removal of the lesion. Intraoperatively the provider uses a curette to remove the cystic material, obtains a specimen, and sends it to the pathology laboratory for histologic confirmation. The procedure is typically performed in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital outpatient department. The clinical workflow includes preoperative imaging and evaluation, consent, anesthesia assessment, operative curettage and specimen submission, postoperative recovery and discharge with activity restrictions, and pathology report review to confirm benign nature and guide any further surveillance or treatment.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	When reporting only the surgeon’s professional service separate from facility billing (rare for surgical CPTs but used when applicable for global vs component billing).
`52`	Reduced services	When the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned (e.g., limited curettage due to unexpected findings).
`53`	Discontinued procedure	When the procedure is started but terminated before completion for patient safety or other reasons.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	When another distinct procedure is performed at a separate anatomic site or session during the same encounter.
`62`	Two surgeons	When two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of a complex procedure.
`78`	Unplanned return to OR by the same physician following initial procedure for related procedure during the postoperative period	For an unplanned revisional curettage within the global period.
`79`	(Not in provided list)	Data not available in the input.
`LT`	Left side	When the procedure is performed on the left humerus.
`RT`	Right side	When the procedure is performed on the right humerus.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	When bilateral upper arm lesions are treated during the same operative session.
`22`	Increased procedural services	When the procedure requires substantially greater effort or complexity than usual (e.g., extensive dissection, prolonged operative time).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	When general anesthesia is used for a procedure that normally would be done under local/regional anesthesia due to unusual circumstances.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same provider	Data not available in the input.
`77`	Repeat procedure by another provider	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207X00000X`	Orthopedic Surgery	Primary specialty performing bone cyst curettage and lesion removal.
`208000000X`	General Surgery	May perform superficial bone lesion excision in certain settings.
`207K00000X`	Orthopedic Sports Medicine	Performs arthroscopic or open procedures involving proximal humerus lesions in athletic populations.
`206E00000X`	Emergency Medicine	May provide initial evaluation and coordination prior to operative referral.
`363A00000X`	Pathology	Receives and interprets submitted specimen for definitive diagnosis.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M85.8`	Other specified disorders of bone	Used for nonspecific benign bone lesions when a more precise code is not available and benign bone abnormality is documented.
`M85.7`	Other specified disorders of bone density and structure	Applied when structural bone abnormality or cystic change is described on imaging.
`M84.5`	Stress fracture, other sites, with delayed healing	Used if lesion is associated with chronic bone injury or cystic change leading to cortical weakness.
`S42.201A`	Fracture of unspecified part of shaft of humerus, initial encounter for closed fracture	Relevant if the cyst has caused or is associated with a pathologic fracture requiring curettage and stabilization.
`D16.9`	Benign neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage, unspecified	Commonly used when a benign bone tumor is suspected or confirmed and site is generic or unspecified.
`M85.4`	Osteonecrosis of bone, unspecified	Relevant when avascular necrosis or bone death contributes to lesion formation requiring debridement.
`M89.8`	Other specified disorders of bone, not elsewhere classified	Used for atypical benign bone lesions requiring operative removal and pathology confirmation.
`M85.0`	Osteosclerosis	Applied when imaging demonstrates focal sclerotic changes associated with lesion excision.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`24110`	Excision, tumor, soft tissue of humerus; subperiosteal, includes internal fixation when performed, when applicable (Note: primary code described)	Primary code used to report curettage/excision and specimen removal from the humerus for a noncancerous lesion with pathology submission.
`20220`	Excision of lesion of bone, mandible or maxilla; with or without incision of periosteum	Data not available in the input.
`20610`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder)	May be performed preoperatively for diagnostic aspiration of fluid if joint involvement is suspected.
`11042`	Debridement; skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle (includes simple excision and debridement adjacent to lesion)	May be used if extensive overlying soft tissue debridement is required during access to the humeral lesion.
`20206`	Biopsy, bone, trocar or needle	Percutaneous bone biopsy is commonly performed before definitive excision to obtain a preoperative tissue diagnosis.
`88305`	Level IV surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination	Typical pathology code for processing and microscopic evaluation of submitted bone lesion specimens.

Note: Some listed codes above are commonly associated in the clinical workflow for diagnosis, tissue sampling, ancillary pathology processing, and management of soft tissue and bone lesions of the humerus.