Upper Arm (Humerus) X-ray (left side)

What it is

The humerus is the single long bone of the upper arm, running from the ball of the shoulder down to the elbow. Because it is one bone rather than a pair, a break in it can only be read properly from more than one direction — a crack running front to back is invisible on a picture taken from the front and obvious on one taken from the side. That is why this study is at least two views, with the arm turned between exposures. What the radiologist reports is where along the bone the break sits — up near the shoulder, along the middle of the shaft, or down at the elbow — and how much the pieces have angled or separated, because those two facts drive nearly everything about treatment. The code also carries a side: this one is the left arm.

Why it is done

• To find a break in the upper arm after a fall onto the shoulder or a direct blow to the arm
• To show where along the bone the break lies and how far the fragments have shifted, which separates injuries treated in a brace from those that go to surgery
• To check the alignment of a known fracture as it heals, or the position of a plate, screws, or a rod after surgery
• To look at the bone itself when arm pain has no injury behind it — for example, an area of bone that has been thinned or destroyed by another process

What to expect

The arm is rested against the imaging plate and the technologist turns it between exposures, stepping behind a screen each time. If the arm is freshly injured, a supported or seated position is used instead of moving it fully. Each exposure is momentary and the time in the room is usually well under ten minutes. Nothing is needed beforehand and there is no after-effect. A radiologist reads the images and issues the report, which is normally available to the ordering clinician the same day.

Questions worth asking

• The code carries a side. Does the bill say left, and does that match the arm that was imaged? A mismatch between the side on the order and the side on the claim is a common reason a claim comes back denied.
• If the shoulder or the elbow was x-rayed at the same appointment, are those separate codes on top of this one, or is the arm covered in one study?
• If the first films were taken with a portable machine in an emergency department and repeated properly in the radiology department later, am I billed for both?
• Does the quoted price include the radiologist's reading, or only the taking of the images?