Summary & Overview
CPT 73130: Hand X‑ray, Minimum Three Views
CPT code 73130 identifies a diagnostic radiography service comprising at least three hand X‑ray views to evaluate suspected fracture, swelling, or hand pain. This code is widely used across outpatient imaging centers, urgent care clinics, emergency departments, and physician offices when clinicians need multi‑view imaging to assess acute or chronic hand complaints. Nationally, accurate coding for 73130 matters for proper clinical documentation, imaging utilization measurement, and alignment with payer coverage policies.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find concise information on the clinical context in which 73130 is used, common sites of service, and how this procedure fits into typical care pathways for hand injury and pain. The publication also provides benchmarking context and payer coverage considerations where available and notes relevant policy and coding practice updates that affect imaging utilization.
This summary is intended for a national audience of billing professionals, radiology and emergency clinicians, and policy analysts seeking a clear overview of the code’s clinical purpose, typical use settings, and the payer landscape relevant to hand radiography.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 73130 describes a diagnostic radiographic procedure of the hand in which a minimum of three X‑ray images are obtained to evaluate for fracture, swelling, or other causes of hand pain.
-
Service type: Diagnostic radiography of the hand
-
Typical site of service: Outpatient radiology departments, hospital imaging centers, urgent care clinics, and physician offices equipped for diagnostic X‑ray
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting to an urgent care center or emergency department after a fall onto an outstretched hand or direct trauma to the hand with localized pain, swelling, and point tenderness over a digit or the carpal-metacarpal region. The triage nurse documents mechanism and neurovascular status; a focused hand and wrist exam is completed by the clinician. When fracture is suspected, the clinician orders radiographs of the affected hand. Radiologic technologists obtain a minimum of three views (commonly PA, lateral, and oblique) using CPT 73130. Images are reviewed by the interpreting physician (radiologist or orthopedist); findings such as fracture, dislocation, bony alignment, or soft-tissue swelling guide immediate management (immobilization, reduction, referral to hand surgery) and follow-up imaging if needed. Typical sites of service are outpatient radiology departments, emergency departments, and urgent care clinics.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when billing only the interpreting physician's component separate from technical component |
50 |